In reality. And in books.
I just returned from my first trip to the US. The biggest surprise was how different the culture is when you are there, in comparison with the image you might have from movies, music, and other cultural products.
All in all, it was fun, exciting, slightly surprising, and revealing.
I saw cities big and small; ate lots of food; took almost 2000 pictures; got lost; found stuff; received gifts; had the best time at Disneyworld and Universal Studios; saw remarkable European art in five different NY museums. I took in the views; had fancy cocktails; danced in the street; laughed out loud at the Luna Park; saw the Atlantic again; attended a Broadway show; talked with loads of people; visited family; met up with cherished friends; counted skyscrapers, and much, much more.
Being in cities such as Miami and NY, and seeing a country I thought I “knew” (re: the aforementioned cultural products) made me think of the worlds I create in my books and the people in them. It made me think about diversity, conflict, human nature, friendship.
I didn’t write a single word during the two weeks I spent traveling, but my brain is full of ideas, and both tired and recharged.
Now, it’s time to:
- finish editing my completed sci-fi manuscript (and start querying it before August!);
- finish writing my fantasy WIP (also before August);
- write a contemporary draft before November;
- do NaNoWriMo;
- and start editing my fantasy WIP after NaNoWriMo.
It’s going to be a busy rest of the year, but I’ll try to achieve it all.