I have a question for all you writers out there? Have any of you ever figured out how to type while traveling in a car? My laptop needs to be plugged in or the battery dies fast. The smooth ride I’m used to isn’t there if I am texting or typing in the note program on my Kindle. The road is bumpier with my fingers on a keyboard. How do other authors use their keyboard in the car? I must be uncoordinated or have the wrong set up.

I find writing out longhand in a notebook is just as challenging. My penmanship isn’t great and adds to that vibration and it’s illegible later. And I haven’t tried dictating my novel on a trip. Not sure hubby would appreciate it. Besides, I create better with fingers on the keyboard.

Here’s what I did instead

While traveling to see our son and hug our new granddaughter, I did a lot of reading in the car. One novel and four novellas completed, and another novel started before returning home.

Reading is a big priority for writers. If you don’t read creativity can dry up and your phrasing can become dull. I love stopping to consider a well-written sentence. Usually, I write reviews for the books I read.  Doing reviews helps practice writing tight. It’s also an opportunity to practice the sandwich method. Placing negative comments between the positive.

Beyond reviews

On a trip, reading can make the time speed by. It transports you to a place where there is no traffic jam. (We were stuck in a few. Argh.) And the story you’re reading can stimulate ideas for future stories. I’m not talking plagiarism. Instead, the setting might be an appealing place to set a story. Or a minor character’s job becomes my new hero’s occupation. Even the past of a character could send me researching to create a new storyline. Reading keeps me in tune with what is popular in various genres. Things change quickly in the publishing industry.

I enjoy following the story arc to its conclusion. But dislike cliffhanger endings unless the next installment is available for sale.  It’s fun noting how all the threads of the story are tied up by the end.

When I return to my WIP, I’ll be more aware of its story arc and any places that need improvement.

Back to my original thought

Still, I’d love to learn how to write in the car on a trip. I’d love to say I finished a novel while traveling through the Blue Ridge Mountains. But then again the scenery is so breathtaking why bury my face in work or my Kindle.

When not in the car I didn’t write much either

By the time we reached our hotel for the night, I’m was too fatigued to write. And once at my destination, well… who wouldn’t want to hold a sweet baby all day? I did get a bit of writing done early in the morning, but not to the caliber of other writers while on vacation.

This is my post to encourage myself and others that even if you can’t write in the car, you can still find solace in reading others’ work. It’s my confession that I haven’t figured out how to take time during vacation to write a few hundred words daily.

How do you manage to write while traveling in the car? I would love to know.  

What do you prefer to do as a passenger on a trip?

When do you find time to write while on vacation?

Please comment below.