Writing as Living Abroad

I’m writing to you live from Vietnam on the tail end of a cold, where it’s been an adventure securing food, cough drops, and changing buses. But I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

I often talk with other writers about how you can tell when a project is a short story or a novel. I think that when a project is longer, you want to live there. You want to spend more time in that world or with those characters. But it’s not an easy thing to sign up for. Living in an unfamiliar place means things that used to be simple become difficult. You have to get used to a new way of speaking and navigating the world.

But doesn’t that make life so electric?

I think that when we commit to a big project we’re packing our bags and moving in. We’re not just tourists or visitors. We are committing to seeing all four seasons unfold, to taking every transit line, to trying every new food. Even when it gets difficult.

That’s why I get so drawn to aesthetic and setting in fiction. It doesn’t have to be speculative, but a vibrant setting makes the writing come alive. There’s more to explore. There’s more interesting lighting surrounding scenes and new colors to symbolize changing feelings between characters.

It also means we shouldn’t get discouraged when we run into the difficulties in our projects. We’re not just there for the perfect weather and beautiful views. We want to understand how a story works and how the locals live. That’s far more interesting than any perfect performance. And it’s certain to be unexpected and far beyond our imagination.

So, best of luck on your travels in the physical world and into fiction. It feels strange, sometimes, but that’s the best part.