The Rained Out Writer

I’m traveling a little this week to attend a conference for my day job. But, never one to pass up an opportunity to get some writing done, I had plans to visit various places near the hotel with my book. The area is very pedestrian friendly and there are a lot of shops, cafe’s and a theater to be enjoyed. Not to mention the culture of the area is very interesting.

My plans were that once training was over each day I would grab the sketchbook I used for first drafts and my phone and head out to soak up the local atmosphere and be inspired while I worked to complete my first draft of book three. I arrived early for the conference to allow for such time, only to be greeted with a rainstorm that was so intense you could not see the other cars surrounding you even though they all had their lights on nor the road itself. It wasn’t even safe to attempt to pull off the road and wait it out. Fortunately, this driving while blind situation only lasted a few short hair-raising minutes. The rest of the evening however continued with some level of rain. So my local culture was confined to the hotel lobby.

After the first day of training, things looked a bit dryer outside so once again I grabbed my book and headed out. I popped into a used bookstore that is absolutely charming and inviting with comfy chairs to relax in while sampling the books.

When I continued down the street in search of more inspiration I was again greeted with a tremendous clap of thunder. I ducked into a drug store for cover and to hopefully wait it out. No such luck. So I purchased a soda and took my chances in the rain. I and several other people ran from store awning to store awning and hopped from one dry spot under the street trees to the next until I arrived safely back at my hotel, albeit completely soaked to the skin.

So far I don’t even have a decent street scene picture to share with you, dear reader. Additionally, the forces of nature are supportive of my getting some writing done, so they knocked out the hotel satellite TV to remove any distraction in hopes that I will press on and get some work done.

Perhaps tomorrow will be a sunnier day.