What You Bring With You

I'm a total homebody. I don't feel a need to travel or visit new places. I prefer the comfort of being somewhere that I know inside and out. I also like being where all of my stuff is, my files, my music, my notes. Still, there are times that require me to hit the road. But even when I'm away from my things, I still need to be a writer.

If I'm going out of town, I will usually bring my computer. I love laptops for that because I'm basically taking all of my stuff with me. However, a laptop only has so much power in it, so its versatility only goes so far. And when you don't have internet access, that's also a pain.

We have become addicted to our creature comforts and our shortcuts. This is not necessarily a bad thing; I think it's a waste of time trying to memorize a bunch of information that you can Google in 5 seconds. However, when you find yourself without those comforts, you will see what you really have as a writer.

I went out of town and brought a spiral notebook and a pencil. I wrote down thoughts and ideas on pages, doodled on some, and wrote some comic scripts out on others. I didn't have spellcheck, didn't have Google, and didn't have anything else to help or to distract me. Everything I did was in me, my mind and my body.

Even if you don't have to go out of town, try this out. Detach yourself from everything and write from what you have inside you. No matter what supplies you have, what comforts you may or may not get access to, you will know that these are the things you will always bring with you.