This wasn't what I planned to write today. Wanderlust Weekly
Did I accidentally start writing another book?
Hello again! I will say I like Substack, but one thing I miss is being able to address you by name. I’ve met so many of you in person, it feels impersonal to email you without a proper address. Maybe it’s a feature I can request. Hmm.
But that isn’t what I’m referencing in the subject line. This morning I woke up and wrote in my journal, as I do every morning. It’s usually random thoughts and pep talks; I’m clearing my brain for the day. Often I work through plot points in my fiction, and sometimes I think through my next piece for TLT.
This morning, I was trying to work through what I’d write next. Elkhart Lake, maybe? I scribbled a bit about how the Wisconsin town is reminiscent of Dirty Dancing. I got a decent start, but it wasn’t grabbing me.
Then I wrote, “Or, I can write an essay about solo camping. Now that could be good. A real essay.”
I reminisced about my first time tent camping all by my lonesome (except it wasn’t lonely at all). And I think, maybe, I’ve starting writing Two Lane Gems, Vol. 3.
I’ve known since Day 1 of last summer’s five-week road trip it would become the next book in my travel memoir series. It was transformative. I am not the person who left that early July morning.
The experiences have been simmering and memories bubble up with increased frequency. I probably shouldn’t have been surprised when they flowed out of my pen this morning, but I was.
I didn’t write much, and what I did won’t make the book in its present form, but it’s a start and tells me I’m ready to write. Those memories are ready to be told.
I’ve included it below. Before you read it, I wanted to let you know about a couple things.
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I’ve pasted my musings below. They’re not only seeding the book, they’ll also morph into an actual article about solo camping, because that’s a piece I really want to write. And, since I did it in my 50s, I hope it’s a piece other women will want to read.
Until next week (or maybe sooner…)
Love and Wanderlust,
Theresa Goodrich
It was dark when I finally sat down at the picnic table to a dinner of cilantro lime rice and salmon. I’d reached my campsite around seven and set up camp. Although I’d practiced at home, it was my first time setting up a tent, or setting up a whole campsite, by myself. I’d slept in the back of an SUV a few times, including a mere six weeks before this adventure, but I’d never pitched a tent solo.
It had been a long day. Not nearly as long as the day before when I'd driven through a derecho, but it still seemed to stretch beyond the clock.
I'd awakened in a century-old farmhouse outside of Mitchell, South Dakota, the home of a stranger who became a friend. After a night of stories and a few sips of Italian liqueur, I shared my upstairs bed with a bossy cat.
That had been the first night of a five-week road trip. I'd taken a trip that long before, in 2018, but that was with my husband. This time, I was alone. He'd meet up with me later, but that wouldn't be for three weeks. Until then, it was me, myself, and I (with a little break in the middle to teach a writing workshop).
Why was I doing this? It seemed the most logical thing to do. The writing workshop would be in Billings, Montana, in mid-July. A few weeks later, our nephew would be getting married in eastern Washington. I didn't relish the idea of going to Montana only to come home to northern Illinois, then immediately turn around and head further west.
It made more sense to make it one big epic road trip adventure. At least, it did to me.
Thanks for reading! Does this mean the book will be out soon? I have no idea! But, it’s begun, and that’s the most important part.
Want to read more by Theresa L. Goodrich? Check out her books on The Local Tourist.