T is for Travel Journal by Carol Harrison

 

I don’t travel often, but when I do I keep a travel journal. I record sights I see, people I meet or watch, and thoughts and ideas to keep the memory alive through photos and written words. By keeping a travel journal it becomes easier to recall little details you noticed and share them with others if you choose to do so. Travel journal plus photos equals well-rounded collections of memories of the story of your adventure.

 Another part in my travel journal is jotting Scripture that I’m reminded of by what I’m seeing and experiencing. In 2018, my husband and I went on a cross-Canada train trip that took place over the course of two months. I journaled along the way, capturing thoughts, sights, and people I met to help me remember the details of the adventure.

 After we returned home, I read through that journal and found I had almost fifty Bible passages or verses highlighted on various days throughout the trip. I used these verses and thoughts about them to write over forty devotionals which I published in a little book called On Track.

But a travel journal can also help with other types of writing than just devotionals. When we people watch, we get glimpses into character traits and what people might look and dress like. Travel journals become a wealth of research into characters, locations, travel methods, and how it affected you and might affect a character in one of your stories. How much time did it take to get from place to place? What did you see along the way? What interactions did you have with people or with guides when you were sightseeing?

 One example of this from my travel journals came from standing on a high mountain in Jasper National Park and walking a little way to the summit from the tram station. I can look back at photos to be reminded of the scenery, but those don’t tell me how cold I felt. They can’t tell me how the wind felt like it might push me off the mountain if I left the path and went too close to the edge. Only through documenting what I saw, felt, heard, and experienced do I get the full picture of what a character would experience in that type of situation. It helps with believable characters, feelings, and emotions, as well as small details about the location.

 Looking through travel journals for research purposes is still a work in progress for me. How about you? Do you keep a travel journal when you head out on an adventure? What have you gleaned from it by rereading it? If you haven’t kept a travel journal, I encourage you to try it. You might be surprised at the wealth of research information and how it jogs your memory as you share your stories.

 

Carol Harrison writes from her home in Saskatoon, SK but loves to hear and read stories from many locations. 

Unwavering Presence - Gloria Guest

 

 

Light, Mountain, Forgiveness, Redemption

Where is the light?

The Redemption and Forgiveness?

There is only this 

Mountain.

Better if I had picked three other words, 

To accompany me through the past year

Confusion, Anger, Despair.

Now, in the waning days of November

I stare up at that Mountain,

Standing on its rocky footstool,

I have barely even begun to climb.

I take in its height and incline,

I can't climb that, I think.

But here it is

It's not moving

And so, I must

Somehow.

I know it can only be done

By holding that same hand,

That brought me this far, through this year,

Of valleys and unexpected, twists and turns,

I hope I don't fall, I think

You might, I hear

But I've got you,

I always do.

And so, I gingerly step up and out 

Perhaps, I think, those other words

Light, Forgiveness, Redemption

Will track me into this new year,

Full of the unexpected,

Yet full of God's steady hand and 

Unwavering presence.

"Man plans his way but the Lord establishes his steps."

Proverbs 16:9 (ESV)

Photo credit: Image by Kanenori from Pixabay

Gloria writes from Caron, Sk on issues close to her heart, through memoir, fiction, non-fiction & poetry. She has published many newspaper articles and columns throughout various newspaper in the province, has some pieces published in anthologies, and continues to take editing classes from SFU.