Jumpstarting Your Writing on Vacation

Traveling can either bring your writing to a grinding halt or give it a much-needed infusion of creative juju. Here's how to make sure it's the latter.

12 People.

7 Days.

1 Boat.

No, this isn't the opening scene of an ocean-themed horror movie (although if you look up the process for taking a ship shower, you might think so). This, my friends, was the most recent Hutchins family vacation.

My husband is sailing certified, along with his dad and brother. For years, we've been talking about renting a sailboat and lazily drifting from island to island for a week. My fear of deep water notwithstanding, we finally made it happen last month.

For seven days, we sailed the Out Islands of the beautiful Bahamas. For that week, my whole life was about the food, the water, and making sure Little E kept his life vest on. Island Time means taking life slow, enjoying the beauty surrounding you, and not bothering with make-up. However, in all of the glorious relaxation and time for pondering, I had one thought lurking in the back of my mind- I should be writing.

When the only item in your day planner is "Vacation", you would think that there would be plenty of time for writing in between the Pina Coladas and the beach walks. The problem with vacations, though, is that getting out of your normal routine means getting out of your writing routine too. It takes extra planning and determination to look at your laptop screen instead of mindlessly stare at the crystal blue waves for an hour.

Here are a few tips I picked up for getting the most out of your vacation in terms of your writing.

1. Plan ahead. I knew that the probability of getting swallowed up in vacation laziness was high. I planned with my husband, ahead of time, to determine when I would write while on the boat and what my goals would be for the week. Do this with yourself and the people you are vacationing with so expectations are the same across the board.

2. Be inspired. If you write contemporary fiction like I do, then the entire planet is your oyster. As the world gets smaller and more people place Travel as a high priority in their lives, I think people will appreciate a greater variety of locations in fiction. You can bet that Jack and his crew will be spending some time on a catamaran in a future novel, probably in the Bahamas( because they're awesome).

3. Mix it up. Since you are already out of your normal routine, why not work on a brand new piece or try a different method of writing? I started a new book during our vacation (shh, it's still a baby of a novel so it's a secret). Prior to vacation, I had been intensely focused on finished up another round of edits on The Ransom. The change of scenery gave me the opportunity to clear my head and create a new story that needs to be told.

4. Have fun! After all, you are on vacation. For most of us, that may not happen too often. If you miss a day or two of writing, don't beat yourself up. Recommit to get back on the horse and start fresh the next day.

That's all for now. Happy writing!