Many of you have inquired as to how the writing is going. To this, I say:
1) Thanks for remembering that a large goal of this trip was to write and
2) Hard to say.
Sometimes I forget that I’m traveling to write. I find myself twisted in museum queues and passing days wandering canal-flanked lanes in search of stroopwaffel, and my pen writes nary a word.
I haven’t yet found the proper balance of traveling and writing. I think I’m secretly hoping that there’s some mathematical equation that will yield the proper answer.
I doubt it exists.
The blog has been doing a good job of keeping me honest and productive. However, it’s not really the type of writing that I usually do. It’s been turning to that direction, but it’s still a bit, well, superficial. Some posts I’ve actually been quite happy with. Others—less.
And so, the second part of my trip will be traveling, yes, but with more of a focus on the writing. I think this will get me in a good habit so that when I come home, I’m used to writing every day. Even if it’s a shitty first draft (Anne Lamott is a badass, and you should totally read her piece “Shitty First Drafts” if you have ever—even once—written something and immediately deleted it because you thought it was terrible http://www.orcutt.net/othercontent/sfds.pdf).
Here’s to: traveling+writing= !
