Writing on the road; to begin journaling your journeys for fun and profit, plan your route and/or destination based on your personal interests. Since it is difficult, and unsafe, to write while you drive, invest in a small voice-activated tape recorder and a supply of blank tapes so that you can record your experiences and thoughts while you drive. Journaling your journeys this way is easy. Record impressions of destination sites, details of scenery, and incidents with the interesting people you meet. Interview individuals on tape, with their permission and a signed release if you plan to quote them, otherwise incorporate that individual’s stories into your own.
When you’re off the road, transcribe and edit your tapes onto paper or a laptop computer. Keep all notes filed by topic, genre, https://travelstranscribed.com/ or date for future inclusion in articles or the next great American novel. Re-reading these notes will inspire topics for further investigation and new articles.
Your office on the road need only consist of a laptop and printer, or pen and paper, and a camera. Add minimum office supplies: note pads. pens, paper clips, highlighters, a few file folders, and a small file box to hold all those brochures you will collect to back up your notes.
A loose leaf notebook or two, with sheet protectors, are the best depositories for picture postcards and your own photos. Mount these mementos on copy paper with room for notes. Post cards are by professional photographers and usually have a concise comment on the back. They are a great inexpensive resource.
Don’t try to take your rolling office off your taxes until you can prove it’s a business. However, begin to keep a record of mileage, and keep gas, toll, and parking receipts. Food, lodging expenses, and references materials are also tax deductible if they directly relate to writing that has been published or that you’ve submitted for publication.
A road trip to successful writing begins when you pull out the maps.
Carol Weishampel, Single mother of two daughters, and ten adopted children, has had many travel adventures with her kids, including taking 9 in a pop-up camper from Texas to Canada. She has traveled by RV to Alaska three times. Twice with a grandson, and once with 2 grandsons. She has earned her gray-hair!
