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A single dream is more powerful than a thousand realities. –J. R. R. Tolkien

One of the perks of being a writer is that I can work anywhere. Coffee shops, taverns, poolside, beachside, anywhere–near or far.

We’re on our way to our home away from home–Cocoa Beach, Florida–for six weeks of fun and sun, family and friends. And for me, it means lots of leisure-time-words-on-a-page, my favorite manner of writing. I’ll be posting updates on FB and Instagram.

The trek to Florida is part of the experience. Tonight we’ve stopped in Wilkes-Barre, PA. We met a motel owner here years ago and love his place. Around the corner from the hotel, we discovered a tavern called Beer Boys where they have a hundred or so beers on tap–talk about living the literary life!

And that precious down time begins. I’ve got a wonderful reading list for this trip: Kerouac’s On The Road, Tennessee Williams short stories, Penny Dreadful pulp fiction, and … digitized Archie Comics from the 1940s and 50s (no, I’m not kidding). I do love to devour writing of different genres and eras.

I’ll be continuing work on one of my novels this trip, as well as client work–but all of it on my schedule. Easy like a Sunday morning, you know.

And music–I’ve got the playlists ready … genres and eras. Starting each day with a mug of fine coffee, and ending them with a glass of fine wine.

It’s a writer’s life for me.

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the [sand by the sea] on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.” ―John Lubbock, The Use Of Life

Seems like the perfect quote to adapt and share as I head out for six weeks of sun, surf, sand and serenity. Seaside food and libations, too. Yo Ho! Yo Ho! It’s a writer’s life for me!

Write freely and as rapidly as possible and throw the whole thing on paper. Never correct or rewrite until the whole thing is down. Rewrite in process is usually found to be an excuse for not going on. It also interferes with flow and rhythm which can only come from a kind of unconscious association with the material. –John Steinbeck

Tip #2 of Six Tips on Writing from John Steinbeck

In order to write about life first you must live it.
―Ernest Hemingway