It never stops

When you’re on vacation, do you take a break from reading crime fiction, never mind writing it? Do you read at all?

by Dietrich

As much as I love to read crime fiction anytime, I don’t limit myself to it. Any well-written book interests me. There’s always conflict of one kind or another in a book, but for me, it doesn’t have to be crime fiction, per say. Right now, I’m reading The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride. It’s been described as a murder mystery wrapped inside a Great American Novel, and that about sums it up. No matter how you describe it, McBride is a writer to read. And another one I’m going to start soon that shows a lot of promise is Colson Whitehead’s Crook Manifesto. It’s set in ’71 Harlem, and I’m looking forward to a darkly funny tale of a city under siege and a searching portrait of the meaning of family.

When I’m on a train or plane en route to some destination, it’s always good to have a book or two along. I love the sway of the train. It’s relaxing and it’s a great place to read as the miles roll away. Once I’m at my destination, the books get tucked in the suitcase, and I’ll get back to them on the homeward leg. 

Vacation is actually the perfect place for an eReader. As much as I prefer the printed page when I’m at home, an eReader is backlit and easier to read in low light, and not to mention it’s almost weightless. A dozen books — no problem.

I also like to have along any device ( a phone, laptop, or MP3 player) that plays music. I always bring tunes along, and when I feel the inspiration to write a few pages early in the morning, or while I’m waiting for a connection, then I’ll usually cut out the white noise around me with music, and I’ll write for a while. Never turning the volume so loud that I might miss that ever important last boarding call. And if I’m driving a long distance, road tunes are pretty much a necessity.

I think the most important thing I can bring along on any vacation is a simple notepad for when those ideas snap into my head. I have to jot them down, or they tend to disappear as quickly as they came. Sometimes one idea leads to the next, and I end up with quite a few useful notes to sort out by the time I get back home.