Feeding the Well

I traveled to New Orleans a couple of weeks ago to finish a novella I was writing and do some research. And, most importantly, to replenish my well of creativity.

It can be hard to remember that experiencing the world leads to better writing. I lived in New Orleans for seven years, so I got to see friends and network with writers who were in town for Blerdfest, but I also got to spend time in some of my favorite places in the world.

One of the highlights of the trip was visiting the Abita Mystery House, which is an outsider art museum in Abita Springs. It's full of oddities and ephemera contained in a sprawling collection. Pretty much as soon as I finished the novella I was working on, I started a new work of fiction inspired by my trip to the mystery house. I'm thinking it will be another novella, part Gravity Falls, part Wayward Children series. Right now I'm around 7,000 words into the draft.

Besides seeing Darryl the Dogitator (see the photo at the top of this post), I also got to visit the bassigator (pictured below) and a number of other wonders.

I love museums like this, with creatures and displays that defy the imagination.

I also got to visit an exhibit of Wangechi Mutu's work at the Museum of Art (it will be running through the middle of July). I wanted to view one of her sculptures in the sculpture garden because it tied in with my mystery house work in progress, and I was delighted to discover the more in-depth exhibit of her work.

Between the inspiration and the wrap-up of the novella I've been working on for the past couple of months, it was a very productive trip. And, it was a good reminder that part of my writing process is to step out of my day-to-day routines and court a little adventure.