TRAVEL OPENS UP THE CREATIVE JUICES!

They say “travel broadens the mind”! Well, travel also opens up the creative juices. Erskine and I have just returned from a trip to Florida, my notebook full of ideas for future short stories.

Perhaps it’s the change of scenery that stimulates the mind or could it be the different people we encounter? I do know that I did a lot of people watching while we were away!

We usually slow down a bit when we take a trip to Florida from The Bahamas, and we “smell the roses” – or in our case “the coffee”, as we spend a lot of time in Starbucks!

We have a favourite little oceanfront resort where we usually stay. We sit out on our balcony, inhale the ocean breeze, and listen to the strange birds that call out to each other from one part of the building to the other. They are large and black. I must find out their name. I don’t think they are really welcomed by the staff, because they leave little “deposits” on the balcony rails, but we like them!

We don’t cook anything while we are in Florida, even though our unit has a full kitchen. We eat out or bring food in to heat up. We find the fridge, stove and microwave handy though. Also the dishwasher! We don’t have one of those at home.

They say “a change is as good as a rest” and I can say “a change gives way to more productive writing”!

Read some of my short stories in "SUNBEAMS FROM THE HEART: A COLLECTION OF TWELVE ROMANTIC SHORT STORIES", which is available as an e-book and in paperback (regular and large print) from Amazon online stores around the world.