Writers and Road Trips

By Jennifer Hallmark

Let’s load up the car and hit the highway, full speed. And we’ll leave behind any hint of car trouble, challenging directions, and bad weather. I love a good road trip, especially when it involves meeting a writing friend, working on blog business, shopping, and coffee. Oh, and chocolate.

During the middle of August, I planned such a trip with my friend, Betty. I’d drive up from Alabama and she’d drive down from Kentucky. On the day of the journey, I woke early, breakfasted, loaded the car, and took off for Franklin, Tennessee. The sun beamed down upon my little Ford Focus, and a light breeze ruffled my hair as I stepped outside. Birds sang joyous songs. The world was good.

Does this remind you a little of a writer’s life at the very beginning? We’ve decided to pursue our dream of being the next best-selling author, making sure to retain the rights for that future “Hallmark” movie. We set up our computer or gather just the right type of pen and paper. Ideas are flowing from our mind to our fingertips.

Cue the afore mentioned birds.

Back to my road trip. It started well. But then came obstacles, distractions, wrong turns, and driving through what you thought was a road but found out it was a walkway. Oh, wait. That last part is probably just me. It seems my road trip and my writing journey are running parallel.

In other words, the birds disappeared. Can you relate to…

(1)   The unexpected. Shortly after I began my adventure, I stopped at a dollar store for a few extra supplies. It was closed for repairs. Further down the road, I pulled into a fast food place for coffee only to discover their computers were down. Really?

The writing road has its own share of computer glitches, hard-drive crashes, home repairs, unexpected company, and doctor visits.

The solution: Don’t wait until the last minute like I did for supplies and coffee. Or your almost due blog posts or book edits. Try to complete blogging, article writing, assignments, and edits ahead of time whenever possible.

(2)   Obstacles. On my trip, I ended up behind a truck with an oversized load. I didn’t want to pass it but didn’t want to follow at a reduced speed either.

Writing obstacles? What about a sudden request for an interview, the stomach flu, or a sick parent or child?

The solution: I finally had to gather speed, hold my breath, and decide I could pass the truck in that tiny space left.

Likewise, I can cut off the phone and give myself time for the interview and if I’m sick and don’t feel like sitting at the computer, pencil out my thoughts. I can get up a little earlier or stay up later if it absolutely needs to be done. Getting past road and writing obstacles will give you a moment to relax and wide-open spaces to breathe in.

(3)   Wrong turns. On my trip, the GPS led me down a wrong road. Or maybe it was my interpretation of her instructions. Either way, I had to do a U-turn.

Sometimes in my writing journey, I make decisions I’m not sure about, like when I tried writing for literary journals. I spent time and energy with no reward except more practice writing. Which is, in itself, a reward. At least, I knew it was something I didn’t want to do.

The solution: Make the best decisions you can. If you find it was a wrong turn, chalk it up to experience and keep moving forward. On the road and on the computer…

And, uh, about running over the walkway? In my defense, it looked like a roadway between two stores. It was early and no one was out yet. I don’t think anyone saw me.

Despite all the craziness, I made it to my destination. My friend, Betty and I worked on our blog, writing, and administrative decisions. We also did a little shopping, drank coffee, and had some decadent cheesecake. Though the trip itself proved a little stressful and wild, the end was good.

Until it was time to go home, that is. But that’s another story…

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Jennifer Hallmark is a writer of Southern fiction and fantasy; a combination that keeps the creative juices flowing. She’s published over 200 articles and interviews on the internet, short stories in several magazines, and been part of three book compilations. She’s recently signed a book contract with Firefly Southern Fiction, an imprint of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. When she's not working in the garden or keeping the grandkids, you can find her at:http://www.jenniferhallmark.com   http://www.inspiredprompt.com https://www.facebook.com/jenniferhallmark  https://www.facebook.com/authorjenniferhallmark https://twitter.com/JenHwrites  https://www.pinterest.com/jenlhallmark989/