by Cara on November 24, 2011
I mentioned in a previous post that I’ve been working on a few different travel articles. The first of these, Solace in Scotland, has been published in the October edition of UVic’s TORCH Magazine. I want to take a moment to explain where the essay came from and why I wrote what I did.
I feel that far too often, we romanticize the good parts of travel and fail to give voice to the challenges. We’re led to believe it’s all gorgeous sunsets, crumbling ruins, unforgettable friendships and life-changing experiences. Not many people are prepared to accept that there are downsides: Loneliness, alienation, frustration, loss.
I was not expecting to tell this story. I was not expecting this to be my story. And yet, the more I tried to write about my life and experiences in Scotland, the more I felt it needed to be told.
This essay is an honest assessment of what I experienced. It honours the fact that the journey doesn’t always go the way you want it to — but that you’ll end up exactly where you need to be.
That being said, I didn’t want to be completely negative, because I did experience some amazing things on my travels. I wanted to infuse my essay with a spirit of hope, determination and optimism. And I think solo travel is something everyone should experience for themselves. If nothing else, it builds character.
The City of Edinburgh was my friend and ally during these tough times. I will be writing much more about this city in the future, but for now, you’ll have to settle for just a taste.
If you got a hard copy of TORCH, flip to the Vox Alumni essay — you’ll find me there. If not, click here to read the article (PDF).
by Cara on September 1, 2011
Edinburgh is a writer’s paradise — UNESCO city of literature, home of Robert Burns and Walter Scott, and the biggest book festival in the world. Writing groups meet weekly to discuss fiction and diction, plotlines and passages. And for every organized group, there are dozens of writers plugging away on their own, wrestling with words to give shape to the worlds inside their heads.
It can also be one of the most stifling places to be a writer. The creative hum of the city – writing, theatre, art and music – can very quickly turn from a complementary force to a hostile one; the multitude of creative voices converge into a stream of white noise that breaks your concentration and makes you question your talents.
There have been many times in the past six months where I have sat down to write, only to be dissatisfied with the process, the words and the outcome. The result has been silence, at a time when I crave the ability to express and articulate the experiences I’ve had while living abroad.
I think it’s something about this space that gives me difficulty. The parameters of a blog are too restrictive for me. I can’t get comfortable enough to express myself in the way I want.
Once I have the opportunity, I will be transforming this space into something that facilitates rather than restricts my creative expression.
In the meantime, I am finding other avenues for my writing. I have a forthcoming article about my life in Edinburgh for Torch, UVic’s alumni magazine, and I am preparing to write a travel article about my forthcoming trip to Iceland. I’ll provide links to these articles once they’re published.
In other news, I am diving head-first into my love affair with photography. My primary interest is nature and landscapes, as well as live concerts. I’ve done a few experimental shoots with a homemade lightbox, and would like to try my hand at portraits next. You can check out my growing portfolio on Flickr.
