Get Out and Live

As we speak, my husband and I are somewhere deep in the Rocky Mountains.  I’m using his cell phone as a modem – it’s like being on dial-up again – and we’re jamming to Falconer as my husband drives my automatic Subaru Forester like a manual.  (Previously we were unaware that this was possible, so we’ve already learned something this trip.)

Most of the other writers I’ve met tend to be similar to me – introverted, like to spend an evening curled up with a good book, perfectly happy to be left to their own devices.  (Not saying all writers are like this, but it certainly seems to be a decent majority.)

I think some level of introversion is necessary – it takes some time to write a book, and it’s hard to do in a social setting – but I feel like you have to go out and live a little, or you don’t have the experience needed to weave a believable story.  If you’ve never experienced love and loss, it’s much harder to have your characters portray it.  If you’ve never stood at the top of a mountain and wondered at the might of nature, if you’ve never had a conversation with someone without use of a mutual language, if you’ve never jumped off a waterfall into the frigid natural pool below, I think you lose something.

The world is great and wonderful.  As nice as it is at home, it’s worth it to go out and do and accomplish.  Take every opportunity you get.  Anything can help you out later.

As for me, I’m going to spend my weekend in canyons and mountains, wineries and dinosaurs.

For those of you in the States, I hope you have a lovely holiday weekend full of adventure and experiences.