About Writing Away
Two major trends have recently swept the travel world: the first, an overwhelming national desire (thanks to Elizabeth Gilbert’s bestseller, Eat, Pray, Love) to write one’s own memoir; the second, an explosion of blogs and social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter that help travelers document their experiences abroad with minute-by-minute updates.
The act of chronicling one’s journey has never been more popular, nor the urge stronger.
Lavinia Spalding’s new book, Writing Away: A Creative Guide to Awakening the Journal Writing Traveler, addresses both trends and will inspire budding memoirists and jetsetting scribes alike. But Writing Away goes much further—it also introduces the handwritten travel journal as a profound tool for reconnecting with oneself in the digital age. With 14 chapters, 75 lively writing exercises, and 135 prompts, Spalding spins the romantic tradition of keeping a travel journal into a modern adventure in creativity, awareness, and spiritual growth.
Spalding will teach you to embrace mishaps in order to enrich your travel experience, recognize in advance what you truly want to remember, tap into all your senses, overcome writer’s block and procrastination, and tackle the discipline, routine, structure, and momentum that are crucial to the creative process.
“Lavinia Spalding has given travelers a witty, profound, and accessible exploration of the hows and whys of keeping a journal,” says Anthony Weller, author of The Siege of Salt Cove. “Novices and veterans alike will find inspiration and fresh ideas on every page, along with practical suggestions to bring out the best writer in anyone.”
Alexandra Fuller, author of Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight, calls Writing Away, “a beautifully vital antidote to the frenetic buzz of blogging and texting, to be savored and shared.”
And Rolf Potts, author of Vagabonding says, “Spalding doesn’t just give you ideas for keeping a travel journal— she makes a convincing case for why keeping a travel journal is important, and how this personal writing ritual can deepen your journey in unexpected ways. Recommended for anyone who endeavors to travel mindfully.”
Whether you’re a first-time wanderer or a seasoned traveler, an armchair adventurer, or a curious spiritual soul, with Writing Away and a journal tucked into your bag, you will see the world – and yourself in it – differently.
Chosen one of the best travel books of 2009 by The Los Angeles Times.
