Why every writer must travel – some people believe traveling cleanses the soul and awakens the divine in us. We do agree and especially in the case of a writer.
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”
Those who love to travel know this statement sums up all their emotions. But writers are busy people. Most of the time, they are glued to their desks or nowadays, to their PC/laptops and don’t find too much time to travel.
But traveling is an integral part of understanding the world around us. Here are five reasons why not just travel writers, but every writer must travel.
Get Out, Get Inspired
Every writer needs inspiration and what can be a better stimulus than exploring different parts of the world? If that’s not possible, travel across your country. Natural beauty, rich traditions and cultures and even monuments can invoke in us feelings and thoughts that otherwise we won’t experience. Sitting inside a room or exploring the world on the internet can never even come close to experiencing real rain, real clouds, real families and real beauty.
A writer is sensitive and can sense real emotions much better than a normal person. So get out and find your muse!
Observe People
We all learn from everyday life. Our relationships, our workplace, our social gatherings are all a learning ground for a writer. You just can’t decide on a time of a day when you will observe people! Go on a vacation and observe everything around you. Interact with the locals and find out about their way of life.
A human angle always adds to any writing and meeting new people means new viewpoints and new ideas. Make it a point to go on a vacation at least once every two months. You never know where you will find your most famous character or story!
A New Perspective
When we spend too much time with ourselves, we end up having a closed mind. To open it up, travel and travel a lot. If you want to be unbiased in your writings, you need to understand the ‘other’ perspective of everything. It will be difficult to achieve if you don’t travel because when we travel, we realize how miniscule we are and how powerful nature is.
Places, too, have their own perspective hidden in their people, in their way of life and their geography. When you travel, you are truly free to absorb different outlooks and analyze them.
Books Vs Real World
Many great writers believed that to write a single sentence, you need to read at least 100 books! I believe same holds true for traveling. If you want to be a true writer, you must travel. Not for traveling’s sake, but to experience the real world as it is and not as it is in books.
Books can take us to dreamy and mysterious lands, but traveling will take us to real mysterious places that we can explore on our own. For a writer, it is crucial to have a world view that doesn’t discriminate. Travel to see real beaches and mountains that are heavenly to say the least.
Get in touch with the real writer, the real poet that is Nature. Explore its creativity and its creations firsthand. You will be amazed at its capacity to create beauty.
Come Closer To Nature
Margaret Atwood, most Victorian poets, Emily Dickinson – all were inspired by nature and created some masterpieces that are still remain unmatched in their beaut and popularity. When a writer is in the lap of nature, he/she goes through a range of emotions and inspiration. Being in touch with nature also makes a writer feel refreshed and recharged after a long writing session.
As famous writer Anita Desai rightly said, “Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.”
Travel to improve as a person and most importantly, travel to write better!
Happy Writing!
