I’ve returned from a lovely vacation cruise to Alaska. What an interesting and beautiful place. There were surprises all along the way, such as the flowers. Who would have thought you’d see a variety of flowers in such abundance in Alaska?
I also became aware of many stories and story enhancements while traveling. As a writer, you probably know what I mean when I say that I saw the makings of articles, short stories, essays, even books during the week.
Practically everyone on earth engages in people-watching, and the opportunities while traveling are enormous. A vacation is no time to turn OFF your story/article-writing radar. There are, in fact, so many more opportunities to study people and discover good story/article ideas.
Astute freelance writers will return home from a vacation with article ideas. Never leave home without your notepad and a pen or, if you are more technologically inclined, a computerized notepad. Jot down article ideas that occur to you, questions that could lead to an authentic article, concepts you are eager to research and so forth.
This week, I came up with numerous questions I want to pursue through research. I was a people-watcher. I noticed people exhibiting a variety of interesting gestures, attitudes and values that could be used to develop fictional characters or even enhance descriptions of real people. And I learned a lot about a state I’d never visited nor studied.
Will my experiences show up in any of my writings? It’s always possible. You can already see how I used this trip to develop this blog post.