I had some short stories, poems and photographs to share ... and so here I am

The Holidays

Oh, what does a writer do over the summer holidays?

I am dancing off for a month in July, driving down to Nice, then the Basque Country, then along the Portuguese coast. Don't worry, my car has air conditioning and a CD player - as if you really were concerned for me! The problem though is the writing. Words will have to be bashed out. Something will have to be created. There is no question that during the four and a half weeks away I will need to get some writing done, and of course I don't want to leave this blog to dry up and die! My plants will probably suffer that fate.

Now, normally I take my laptop along with me on such trips. Last year I dragged it through California, to the Grand Canyon, across desperate deserts, and then all the way to New Zealand. It was even in my daypack when I visited Universal Studios - stupid, I know - because the motel we stayed in didn't have good enough locks on the windows. They didn't even bother to check that it wasn't something nasty!

Well, yes, you guessed it, the bump and whistle of American life was too harsh on the laptop's floppy and hard parts and she kicked a wobbly. That's probably why she ended up blowing a fuse not long ago.

So, for the Portugal escapade, the laptop - now repaired - is staying home with Muffin, the cat (that's another long story that will hopefully work out!). Cats and laptops have no place in a hot car that'll be parked up in camping grounds, outside hotels, etc. I have French number plates and I don't fancy giving away my goods! I bought the darn laptop for such trips, but now realise that the road is no joy for such fragile things.

Well, I hear you screaming, there's always pen and paper, even though my hand has forgotten what that feels like. When did I last actually write something out by hand? I will take loads of books with me as well, all those novels that are piled up on the bookshelves waiting to dazzle me - I'm currently having a Colm Toibin moment, by the way, and thoroughly enjoying it. I will read read read until that word loses its meaning, while progress on my second novel will come over the summer with a good old fashioned biro. How romantic.

The only question now is what to do with the blog while I'm away. Do I leave it in the hands of people like Minx, Skint Writer or The Wandering Scribe? Can you imagine the fun, trying to keep the post in the same Shameless spirit! Or do I try to find Internet cafés and keep you all posted on my trip? It's true that this writing blog is now like a morning shower: it's essential and I just feel more alive and fresher afterwards. I think I will probably try to keep it going while I'm away, though there won't be the possibility of putting up photos and the like.

Roll on July the 11th! This scribe has got everything sorted!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds great - here's a suggestion.

Take a nice posh A4 notebook, those genuine Red & Black ones are great, and a nice pen.

Write a travelogue type thingy and post it when you get the chance. You can even post by e-mail from a mobile phone type thingie.

Anonymous said...

I left a comment yesterday but it doesn't seem to be here?

Here it is again, sorry if it's duplicated.

Sounds great - here's a suggestion.

Take a nice posh A4 notebook, those genuine Red & Black ones are great, and a nice pen.

Write a travelogue type thingy and post it when you get the chance. You can even post by e-mail from a mobile phone type thingie.

12:07 AM

Unknown said...

Oh please post whilst you're away otherwise.....

Debi said...

oooh I dunno ...
You'll be missed - that goes without saying - but aren't holidays for doing something DIFFERENT to what you do the rest of the year? We'll keep looking in while we're around and flick an occasional duster over the blog, but I don't think you should feel duty bound to post ...
Personally, I'll be writing in longhand (Skint's suggestion is so good we got it twice)and not blogging at all when we're away.
It's like if you've got fags with you, you're constantly thinking about finding a space for smoking them. Whereas if you go out without any ...
Actually I don't know if it's like that at all ...

Ninjauthor said...

Wow. That's a fair few weeks off to bum about Europe during the Summer. I'm instantly envious!

As for the writing and the blog... When I travelled Oz and New Zealand I purchased a really handy PSion Palm-top which is about the size of a cigar case and about as heavy. Bloody wonderful things but as PSion have gone belly up, they are as rare as hen's teeth. My advice is: if you see one on the 'net or in a shop somewhere, get one. I got one for £150, it has Word, internet access (via mobile phone) currency calculator, games, address book etc. Yeah, I loved it and never once did I have a problem with it...

... until our return from Oz when I managed to spill a glass of diet coke over the ruddy thing while writing. Fried it completely (sob!)

S. Kearney said...

I think the notebook it will be! And I think I will have to post while away ... I'm addicted!

Unknown said...

But in relation to Skint's post, I've got a lovely little A6 notebook, really heavy paper, it's held together by two little metal circles so that it can be completely opened and turned to the page you are working on. It takes NO space in your bag and the cover is the most delicious thing about it, it just feels soooooooo nice. Can a palmtop evoke all that?
Ooh and don't forget the special pen, special pens are important.

Isabel Da Rocha said...

I'm waiting for your call once you get to Portugal...and I can assure you: no laptops are needed, 'cause you won't have time!! you'll be too busy taking photographs and havin a good time...

Maxine Clarke said...

I went away for 3 mights at easter, and really missed blogging.
So when I go to France for 2 weeks in August, I will be packing my laptop if it fits in the car -- just in case!
Enjoy your holiday, sounds wonderful. One of the downsides of being a wage slave is that you can't go away for 4.5 weeks in the summer. In another life......

S. Kearney said...

I've decided to take my holidays all in one go now ... it seems to be a real break, instead of taking the odd week here and there. I need a total switching off! I'm keeping another week for New York in October (for my 38th birthday) and a week for next February to go skiing ... otherwise it's really work work work.