# words written on WIP: 0
# projects finished: 0
# laptops returned home: 0
# insight gained from a 5yo: tons
The first item tells you that NaNoWriMo was a total bust, and some would consider it a wasted month when no real writing was completed. So why do I feel like I learned to be a better writer?
I thought a lot about language. If I am to remain completely honest, my German is not great. When you switch from a huge vocabulary in your native tongue to a tiny subset in another you really think about the simplest way to communicate. I read samples of many e-books over the course of the trip, and the biggest flaw most of them shared was terrible word choices.
Mark Twain: "I never write metropolis for seven cents when I can get the same price for city. I never write policeman when I can get the same money for cop."
At a conference I attended this Summer a panel of published authors warned against 'writing that sounded like writing'. I think it is a trap many beginning writers fall into - trying to show intelligence or write overly colorful phrases. If every sentence contains similes, metaphors, unnecessarily complex words, or long strings of adjectives it becomes harder for the reader to get lost in the page.
I recommend reading some dreadful books in your chosen genre. Just a few pages here or there will show you how annoying certain writing habits and styles can be. I returned home eager to comb through some of my work and make sure I wasn't making similar mistakes.
I'll ramble about the wisdom that can be gained from entertaining a 5 year-old for a month next time.
Have any of you successfully managed to write while travelling?
