TRANSMISSION #17 // LESSONS FROM THE ROAD

As I mentioned before I’ve taken to writing from the road as often as possible.
#TAILGATEOFFICE

It can be a few days writing at a campsite while checking out the local mountain bike trails, or shooting reference images for pre-production with my camera while scoping lakes and rivers for a dawn paddle. Whatever the reason for the trip, I’ve found writing from the road has changed my creative process quite a bit.

While on a surf/mountain bike trip earlier this year I stopped in at a few cafes and surf/bike shops along the way inquiring about campsites, swell status and trail suggestions. At pretty much each stop I left with generous updates on conditions, good coffee and great conversation.

And characters.
Lots of characters.

A former corporate lawyer focusing on biking everyday after suffering from a heart attack at 38.
A young dad teaching his son about the tides.
A new bike shop owner who sleeps in the back of his shop to cut back on expenses.
A waitress learning to shape her own surfboard for her first ever ride.
A couple driving from South America to Alaska to play in the snow and smell (?) a grizzly.

Driving is when I come up with most of my ideas – like where to take a rewrite, how many characters are needed in a new plot, how to transition Act I to II without giving too much away…
Driving is when the mind likes to roam.

I could drive for days and lose myself not only literally but mentally (and I’ve done both).
But stepping out of my solo thinking bubble to interact with actual humans has provided me with endless fuel for my creative.
One random conversation about wetsuits with a stranger led to an idea for a new villain, an alternate direction to an overly complicated ending and an adjustment to a fictional character that took her from cliché to memorable.

When you work from home it’s nice to experience the outside world and those who live in it. And sometimes, if you’re lucky, you might just hear a quote that can launch a thousand ideas
“Drink lot’s of water, drop some acid, put on a banana costume and see where the night will take you.”

END TRANSMISSION.
– SEAN