Just a note to say the book is still coming. I’m still writing it, though life has been happening in the meantime.
In September I stayed with travel writing powerhouse Ted Simon, which was cool.
He gave hard hitting advice.
“I’ve scared quite a few people off of writing,” he told me over a beer. “But if you want me to, I’ll be as ruthless and helpful as I can be.”
I told him I didn’t visit to have my ego massaged, but inside, my ego was preparing for a beating.
“I wonder whether riding across Canada is interesting enough to be a book.”
“Nobody wants to read one of those ‘we did this and then we did that’ kind of story.”
“A good travel book relies on stories, not just a journey.”
Thankfully I was in full agreement before our conversation, so his thoughts weren’t as crushing as they might have been. Rather, they were a prompt to make sure the stories I’m trying to tell are compelling, interesting, and, essentially, not shit.
I’ve since spent time rereading, rewriting, and reflecting; all the while learning more about the nebulous act of writing a book.
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