Up until recently, I have been very much tied to my desktop when it comes to working on my novel. My trusty Scrivener is not available on the iPad, and besides there is something about this space that focuses me. Both of my first two novels were written here in their entirety, and there is an energy and an association of success that makes it (relatively) easy to get the words on the page.
Except…
Lately it has got harder and harder to find the time to write. Even with getting up early, my progress towards my word count target has slowed, and various excursions to London and further afield have meant my desk has been a very long way away just when I needed it most. So I have finally got round to dusting off my old laptop, dredging the (limited) depths of my technical expertise to get it working again, and setting up the Scrivener and Dropbox combo that means my novel can be with me wherever I am.
It’s taking a bit of getting used to, but it seems to be working. I’ve had a couple of writing stints, one on a train, the other on a plane, where I have found the words pouring out – so much so that arriving at my destination has ended up being quite frustrating!
It seems there is something about being on the move that is quite conducive to writing. I have always found the ambient noise of trains and planes quite hypnotic, and in this instance it seems to have shaken me out of my comfort zone and help me see things differently. It is as if the physical shift in time and place has helped me get over the initial stumbling blocks that the changing landscape of my story had presented.
Whatever, now that I am back on solid ground I am very much closing in on my end goal. Even the tricksy issues of structure are beginning to find some sort of resolution in my mind, and I have some ideas that I’m really looking forward to exploring when this first draft is done.
Most of all, though, I’m looking forward to the potential freedom in my future writing life – one where the inability to be at my desk does not translate into an inability to write, where I can use my environment to my advantage as I develop different aspects of my stories.
I have always envisaged a life as a writer where I can be free to travel, and work wherever the mood takes me. Suddenly that possibility seems closer than it ever has before.
Sophie is... 
It’s funny – isn’t it? – how our environment can shape our writing (or our writing habits). But I’m definitely a ‘cuckoo’ rather than a ‘wren’ and am happy to write anywhere or anytime rather than having to stick to the one place. Mind you, any place that happens to be peaceful (and has some coffee on hand) is probably one of the best! Hope the word count increases again… 🙂
Given how much you travel (certainly compared to me!), I think it’s brilliant that you’ve found a way of making writing a possibility wherever you are. The fact it unlocks extra creativity is the icing on the cake! Thanks for linking to #WhatImWriting xx
I find something enormously helpful about travelling for writing … and reading. The liminal space of a train, the lack of responsibility for anything or anyone else means that I can get some of my best stuff done. I need more, longer train journeys, I think!
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