I'm a lot less travelled as an adult than I was as a child, but I think living in far flung places gives you a perspective on the world and people that adds flavour to your writing.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Travel definitely affects me as a writer.
Traveling gives you some perspective of what the rest of the world is like. I think that having the courage to step out of the norm is the most important thing.
Traveling has a major impact on what I do, cause all over the world I'm meeting all kinds of people. And relationships is the second major impact that I have. I just enjoy the variety that the world has to offer.
I've always liked the idea that writing is a form of travel. And I started my writing career as a mystery novelist for adults.
I think what travelling has done for me and for many generations of my family - my grandmother was a great example - it's really highlighted for me how similar we all are and how many values we all share as people on this planet.
I write incredibly slowly. And, on top of that, I spent my entire youth and twenties working like a dog, so one of the things that happened when I finished 'Drown' was that I got busy living. I'd never travelled, I'd never seen anything. So I did as much travelling as my job teaching would allow.
I wouldn't say that I'm a travel novelist, but rather a novelist who travels - and who uses travel as a background for finding stories of places.
Traveling is one of few zones of experience where you are not directly plugged into the world around you. You're not part of the society you're passing through.
I have travelled all over the world and one thing that amazes me is that I can communicate with people. My story may be different but emotionally we are all the same.
I am a passionate traveler, and from the time I was a child, travel formed me as much as my formal education.