Writing at Sea

Uninterrupted. Silent. Serene. Writing at sea should be ideal. And it would be except for the storms on the horizon, reefs below the waterline, unfriendly waters and repairs...

There's a reason that so many sailing metaphors and similes have entered the language. Sailing remains the ultimate challenge, the ultimate peace and the ultimate dream for many.

There's always a little bit more of the unknown stretching out ahead on the water in front of you. And everyone is innately curious about the unknown. Sailing trips have a beginning, a middle and an end, and are a useful allegory for just about any project you might want to undertake.

If you have a writing project sitting on your table, you'll need to find the process that works best for you as you navigate your story's beginning, middle and end.

Equipment

1. Computer   (or paper)

2. Battery pack / generator   (or pen)

3. Thesaurus

4. The Elements of Style, by Wm. Strunk & E.B. White

5. Foul weather gear

6. Life line

7. Six-pack of Dramamine

Safety

Nope. There is none. But the odds are pretty good.

And you can take proactive measures to stack the odds in your favor. Planning your route carefully, getting meteorological updates and local navigation advice before leaving port - and wearing a life jacket.

And the writer’s life preserver? That’s whatever you put between you and the distractors and detractors that’ll try to get in your way as you write your greatest fiction ever.

Bearings

Taking stock of where you are to prepare yourself for where you’re going. I free-association write for a day to get the feel of the world that my story will be set in. This is the only time I ever write without a plan.

This is followed by a hellovalot of research to enlarge and support the story’s environment and characters.

Maps, historical accuracy, scientific precision, extensive backstory, plotting. It’s all laid out and charted meticulously before the first draft is begun. Always.

I aim to make the big mistakes where I can fix them quickly. It's much easier to see mistakes in a timeline or a graph than when they’re covered in prose.

Every minute invested in planning saves hours…and hours and hours.

Navigation

The hardest part of the work has been done. Now you just have to follow your course. Writing the first draft of your story is, well, a breeze when you’ve got a map.

Plots, charts, maps and graphs steer me through whatever literary fog I may wind up in. Yes, I deviate from plan regularly and make useful or colourful discoveries along the way. But I wouldn’t sail across any harbour on earth without a map.

Maybe you never look at your charts. Maybe you can already see the other side from where you are. But it sure can save the day if storms come up or the fog rolls in – it’s good for avoiding reefs and shoals too.

At Anchor

You’ve been where you meant to go, the voyage is over. You’ve drafted, redrafted and triple-checked every fact, facet and line. Your characters have triumphed, evil has been vanquished and the boon has been achieved. Your manuscript has been logged and sent publisher-ward on its own journey.

Anchor yourself in a quiet inlet somewhere. Hunt down some fish and grill them up. Lean back and face the horizon. Time to lay out your next plan.