World Exploring vs. World Building: Top 5 Similarities

I visited the Emerald City this weekend!

For realz. My birthplace, Seattle, has officially adopted that literary nickname—and with good reason. It is a gorgeous, green city, full of strange and wonderful sights and people! I didn’t have a chance to visit the Wizard, but I was charmed by the culture, the cool temperatures, the Puget Sound, and the quaint islands accessible only by ferries (or a flying house from Kansas).

There are many things about taking a vacation that remind me of writing a novel. And I am thrilled by both! Since I have not been able to travel much in my lifetime (despite a burning desire to do so), I suppose I’ve turned to writing as a form of escape. World building, and world exploring, exhilarate me and cause those fresh-squeezed creative juices to flow. Since my return from Seattle, I’ve been thinking about the way the two play off and feed each other. A good vacation can nourish the imagination, and the imagination can fuel the desire to explore new things, literally and figuratively.

Hear are some tie-ins that I’ve discovered due to my latest jaunt. I think it’ll be a good exercise for me to break them down so I can keep them mentally handy. Examples provided for posterity’s sake and as ideas for future writing endeavors 😉

1). The Journey. You have to get from point A to point B in some manner. A magic carpet? A black hole? Whether it’s an RV ride across the country or an airplane ride (complete with screaming babies and possible Ebola), getting to where you need to go can offer up a unique slice of adventure.

For instance, on one of our plane changes (I traveled with my mother on this trip), we were scolded, literally, by the flight attendant for using the restroom and trying to grab a bite to eat (to-go) between gates. Okay, so we did get paged, but my mom has had two hip replacements and can’t walk fast whatsoever . . . plus, who knew that the departing gate was, like, two miles away? And why can’t airlines offer you more than a bag with “precisely twenty-one and a half peanuts” (as described by one flight attendant when announcing the snack choices)? The journey can be stressful!

2). The Setting. You have a particular place in mind when you plan a vacation or when you describe an imaginary land. Is it desolate or lush? Is it sparsely populated or intensely crowded? Is it on a mountain top or in a labyrinth of sewers beneath a palace? The setting itself becomes an important character.

You’ll be glad to know we did NOT spend our time in the bowels of Seattle. Instead we stayed in a charming Art Deco style hotel, got on the wrong bus in the midst of the skyscrapers, smelled the fresh fish of Pike’s Market (and the coffee from the original Starbucks, eek!), cruised across salt water on a giant ferry full of cars and pedestrians, and saw snowy Mount Rainier standing guard over the glittering skyline. All of these scenic wonders made Seattle quite an idyllic setting for our real life story.

3). The Characters. Sitting in front of your computer, fingers poised on keyboard, you have a good idea who your major players are going to be in the forthcoming story. When you take a trip, you’re at least one of the main characters. You, and whoever your traveling companions might be. But what about the all of the interactions with people from many walks of life that are strangers? The cabby, the clerk, or maybe the businessman that you see every morning over coffee and crumpets? Would your trip be the same if you traveled isolated in a bubble? Of course not. Neither will our stories be lifelike if they’re not generously endowed with secondary and minor characters that help to bring our worlds from monotone and flat to colorful and three dimensional.

Some of my “minor” characters, this trip, included two separate visits from lifelong friends that lived a few hours away (these are actually major role players in the whole of my life!). One of which I literally based a character on in my novel, The Tethered World. These friends gave the trip more depth, made us feel loved, and enriched our time with warmth and laughter. Then there was the hotel clerk that called me by name every time I walked in, the jazz band that played in our hotel’s lounge, the so-called taxi driver that tried to lure my mom and me into his unmarked car, and the kind strangers that offered to give my mom and her friend a ride into town, so the rest of us could enjoy a scenic stroll. Everyone, from the homeless people to the police, lend a particular feel and flavor to the streets of Seattle. What does my novel need that will do the same for my readers?

4). The Unexpected. No journey comes off without a hitch. Not if it’s longer than a few hours, anyway. Even though the climax of my story doesn’t take place until near the end, there’s always the need for conflict along the way.

Certainly our time in Seattle had its share of  ups and downs as well. We almost missed a plane and a ferry. I mean skin-of-your-teeth running, with someone who couldn’t run sort of missed. I forgot my phone charger and found myself needing to walk the streets of Seattle at night (we didn’t rent a car) and go to the store. It wasn’t far, and nothing happened, but I did discover the first of many Yeti items, which made me aware to keep my eye out for such things for the rest of my visit. Bigfoot is an important part of my book, so this was a personal plus!

5). The Inner Journey. Something special takes place, inside, when I travel. There’s a spark, there’s joy, and I feel enriched. I suppose if I were to experience a tragedy while away, I would relate that place to trauma, pain, loss, or perhaps anger. But the motivation for traveling includes how it effects me on the inside. My characters need to have the same sort of inner growth as well. In fact, if my main characters lack conflict, joy, and change, it really doesn’t matter what sort of phantasmagorical place I create for them, or what superpowers I might give them. Without an inner journey, my story will have no heart, no soul, and no connection to my reader.

On this particular trip, since I went with my mother, my inner journey looked like practicing patience (and occasionally failing to do so), working around medical issues, intentionally creating memories, and being aware that time is precious, particularly the time I have left to spend with my mom.

♦♦♦

If you’re a writer, these ideas are nothing new. All five points are basic to story writing. But having the presence of mind to notice a story idea, an interesting character, or inner motivation in every day situations can often be missed . . . at least for me! There’s something that springs to life, however, when I travel, that is much less prevalent when I’m, well, not traveling. My senses are alert, my mind and imagination more sponge-like, my very being more illuminated by the excitement of being in a new place with new people.

Do you feel more alive when you travel, or is it just me? (Ha, I know it’s not!). Where have you traveled that had a creative impact? Do you find one place speaks to you over another? My husband and I just celebrated 25 years of marriage and want to take a trip to Europe. Would love to hear suggestions on the best place to visit!