How to travel without traveling
(No, I'm not talking about psychedelics!)
In this roundup…
🤔 Did you know reading can offer us many of the same benefits as traveling?
🗺️ Inside Tokyo’s quirky, “anti-procrastination” Manuscript Writing Café
✈️ The Last Bookstore in Downtown LA is a portal to another world
✍️ The magic of a self-guided writing retreat or hotel room lock-in
🧠 An electric tongue for VR, creative writing residencies, and The Wheel of Time
Keep reading (or scroll to each section) to learn more!
“What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing. It also depends on what sort of person you are.”- C.S. Lewis, The Magician’s Nephew
When I applied for the ELF First Chapter Writers Fellowship back in 2021, I knew exactly how I wanted to begin the cover letter accompanying the first 2,000 words of my manuscript. It’s sort of ironic, considering how much convincing I’d needed to apply in the first place. For starters, I didn’t think I stood a chance. I mean, “A global-standard writers fellowship? That legit talent would get into? With mentorship from internationally-renowned authors, and the chance to network with literary industry folk from around the world?” I thought. Yeah, my imposter syndrome hit me hard.
I was also in an especially dark place mentally, after life had thrown me many painful curveballs. But as my dear friend Stacey reminded me, if I truly felt that I was already at rock bottom, I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. And while I felt like I only had a 1% shot at getting in, as the saying goes, you lose 100% of the shots you don’t take. I will always be grateful to Stacey for giving me the push I needed - and once I sat in front of a blank page to tell the judges about my background, why I was applying, and why I should be selected, I instantly knew what I wanted to say.
The opening of my cover letter began as follows:
Can I tell you a secret? I possess the ability to travel to other worlds. I have travelled to lands with sorcerers, witches, and dragons; alien planets with technology beyond my wildest dreams; and to far-flung towns in my own world. Along the way, I’ve made new friends who taught me about love, loyalty, friendship, betrayal, conflict, and everything in between - and I did it all with the flick of a page and the turn of a hand: through the pages of books filled with powerful stories.
I continued…
Each time I delve into a new story, I become Digory Kirke from C.S. Lewis’s The Magician’s Nephew, who discovered a ‘Wood between the Worlds’ filled with pool upon pool, each leading to a separate universe. Except in my case, instead of the trees in a wood, I had the pages of a book; and instead of pools, I had the worlds created through the words within them. When I was a child, whenever things around me felt like too much to handle, it was my favorite way to escape. As I grew older, it became more than just a refuge: it was where I’d travel to when I needed to be inspired, or when I craved new ways of making sense of the world around me, or my ever-changing self - and it still is to this day.
I wrote about characters I saw myself in, who helped me accept that it was ok to be myself even when I felt different from people around me, and let me believe it was possible to find others out there who could understand me, even when I felt alone. I wrote about books that taught me about the influence of power and fear, and how that could corrupt even the more pure of heart. I spoke of stories that took me to places entirely foreign to me, or to times long ago, and how through these journeys, they delivered powerful lessons about kindness, cruelty, empathy, greed, survival, love, and humanity. I espoused authors whose ability to capture the douleur exquise of coming-of-age had created catharsis for so many.
“I think that’s why I became a writer,” I said. I explained how the power of stories to help us travel without actually traveling - into other worlds, lives, and perspectives - had sparked my lifelong love of storytelling. I told them how this mixed-race third culture kid growing up in the UAE - before it became the globally-famous metropolis it is today - had challenged the expectations of her culture, society, and family to pursue a career in writing and publishing. And how determined I am to write stories that capture the same magic that first inspired my love for books.
Writing a book is hard. Trying to make it as a traditionally published fiction writer, while holding down a full-time job, is incredibly challenging. It can take years, and you can’t know if your efforts will ever truly pay off in the way you want them to. If you look at the statistics, it’s pretty bleak: commonly-quoted figures state that at least 80% of people in the US alone want to write a book, but less than 3% of people actually finish a manuscript. Only 1-2% get traditionally published. Even fewer make enough money from it to be able to do it full-time. Are we crazy for trying? Maybe. But, again, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. So take your shot.
If it’s a true calling from your soul, you’ll keep at it anyway. No matter how tired you are, if you want it badly enough, you’ll get up, show up, and keep trying, even if it’s one word at a time. We write because we cannot not write. And maybe the most important journey for a would-be author isn’t the way we travel to the worlds we create in our minds and through our words, but who we become along the way.
🤔 The Perspective: Thoughts that make me go “hmm”
Considering I’ve been to more than 60 countries (thus far), it’s no surprise that I am a firm believer in the power of travel to open our minds and change our perspectives. Of course, there are different types of traveling - I mean the type that throws us out of the familiar, where we let ourselves actually see and learn how others live, speak, eat, work, construct value systems, and so on, not the type where some people simply view others’ reality like a zoo. Travel is a teacher that can help connect us, and should not just be a way to feed an insatiable appetite for self-serving fetishization of the “exotic other”, or objectified self-presentation. But that’s another topic for another day.
While physical travel has a host of barriers - such as the cost, and one’s ability to gain visas based on their passport, to name two - reading is one of the most accessible ways to travel without physically traveling. It can also give us a lot of the same mental health benefits as taking a physical journey, from stress reduction to positive escapism, cognitive stimulation, and increasing empathy. It’s a great way to boost your serotonin levels, slow mental decline, and even decrease feelings of loneliness. It can be so powerful there’s even a type of therapy called bibliotherapy.
I once saw a meme that said reading is essentially staring at marked slices of a dead tree while hallucinating vividly. I’d argue that hallucination isn’t the right term - imagination is a better fit. Imagination is an inherent part of travel, reading, and all forms of storytelling. As this book puts it, “Even simply the notion of travel, it would seem, gives us license to daydream. The imagination thus becomes a key concept that blurs the boundaries between our everyday lives and the idea of travel.” The more we read, and the more we travel, the more we flex our imagination - and the more we can take profound journeys without necessarily moving our feet.
🗺️ The Scene
I enjoy writing from different cafés, hotels, libraries, and workspaces around the world - and rating them for their “writer-friendliness”. Tokyo’s Manuscript Writing Café is a workspace in Japan’s capital that’s entirely dedicated to writers and creatives hoping to make their deadlines. It has been widely described as an anti-procrastination café, and for those of us craving the perfect balance between solitary focus and community, it’s a truly unique haven. Firstly, your patronage isn’t welcome unless you’re actually there to write. Secondly, you must state a writing goal for the visit (with the time frame you intend to complete it in), and then you cannot leave until you hit your goal. Sounds intense, right? But it works! I wrote 3,200 words - good words - in 4 hours there. The owner, Takuya Kawai, said he started this place to help fellow writers meet their deadlines in a quiet, focused environment with a sense of support through shared solidarity. He sees himself as a coach of sorts: “The manager creates an atmosphere by writing here himself.” And he does! If you’re ever in Tokyo, it’s well worth a visit. I’m certainly going back the next time I’m there!
📍Tokyo, Japan
⏰ It’s not open every day - usually open on weekends only, the owner will sometimes open it on another day if there’s enough demand. He did for me! If you plan to visit, message him on X to make a booking in any case, as seats are limited.
🍴☕ There’s no food here - only beverages. Unlimited Japanese drip-bag coffee, tea, and water is included in your entry fee, and if you need a bite, you can grab one at the konbini across the street.
💰 The usage fee is paid at the end, charged by hour. I paid ¥500 per hour for 4 hours.
⭐ Writer-friendliness: 5 out of 5 stars
✈️ The Setting: Destinations to help your mind (and body) wander
Speaking of portals to other worlds, The Last Bookstore is an independent bookstore in Downtown LA that will transport you elsewhere through its enormous selection of awesome books, as well as its unique, quirky decor. Every corner, and each nook and cranny, promises something new to discover. A visit to this cabinet of curiosities will stir your imagination as much as the many stories it holds within its walls.
🙂 The Character: Inspiring people with a story worth telling
The day after the winners of the 2022 Elf Seddiqi Fellowship were announced, our first workshop was hosted by the wonderful Greg Mosse at Habtoor City Hotels. There, a woman wearing a white linen and canvas dress with an asymmetrical hem, long beaded necklaces piled at her neck - an outfit that screamed "artiste" - introduced herself to me, with a big smile, as Zana. I recognized her from a talk I’d attended the day before, where during the Q&A session at the end, she’d introduced herself with her full name rolling off her tongue like it was a song. She spoke of a book she'd written in her native tongue of Brazilian Portuguese as well as English, that she was creating with a series of accompanying poems and pieces of music. It was certainly one of the most unique takes on literature that I'd heard of - one that was immersive, encompassing creativity in various ways.
Zana sat down in the seat next to me. I was both intimidated and intrigued by her - her warmth, her curiosity, her effusiveness. By the time the fellowship ended a year later, we’d developed a deep respect for each other, with a genuine friendship. Zana’s irrepressible love for creativity and artistic pursuits shines through in everything she does, alongside her ability to always be genuine and "keep it real".
Since we first met, Zana - an artist who has also been a chemical engineer, a corporate climber, a marketing professor, a property developer, and a caregiver to humans, animals - “and, occasionally, humans who behaved like animals” - has two published books to her name, with several other to-be-published stories (including a silent comic and screenplay) in the works. She’s an avid traveller, but her inspiring sense of adventure goes far beyond exploring the world. I spoke to her about her approach to storytelling, and the many lives she’s lived. You can read the full interview here.
✍️ The Process: Insights on the craft of writing and editing
When I started writing my first novel - outside of my day job where I would also write and edit words every day - I needed something to help bolster my routine. Living in a small apartment, I often struggled to concentrate when writing from home. I didn’t have space for a real writing desk, and I was too often distracted by my cats, my partner, the TV, the laundry, the dishes... anything but writing! Overstimulated and in need of a quiet place where I could write nonstop to hit a deadline, I booked myself into a hotel room for the weekend specifically to get over the finish line. For three days straight, I pounded the words out - ordering room service, not using the pool or other facilities, and away from the distractions of my everyday life. I was so focused that the hotel staff even called the room to make sure I hadn’t accidentally died in there. I emerged from my feral writing hole victoriously, with 18,000 words.
Now, I try to do this at least twice a year (three, if I can), whether as a staycation or by traveling elsewhere. I live in a city crammed with hotels (available at a variety of price points), and doing some form of writing retreat every now and then is something I am very grateful and privileged to be able to enjoy. When I travel, whether for work or on vacation, I like to plan for dedicated writing time as well as exploring the destination. Getting a good nature or culture fix, not to mention the widened perspectives that travel can offer, helps to inspire my imagination. It’s one of my dreams to run a series of writing retreats both in the region and across the world someday. But until then, if you need to take yourself into a “blank slate” space where you can leave our real world to enter your fictional world, why not consider a solo hotel room writing lock-in? (Need help figuring how how to create your own DIY writing retreat? Stay tuned!)
🧠 The Idea-Sparkers, Thought-Stirrers, and Conversation-Starters
A PhD student and his colleagues at The Ohio State University have developed an electric tongue that could help you taste food in VR. How very Black Mirror.
Creative residencies for artists, writers, and the like are on the rise in hotels across the world. Um, yes please - I volunteer as tribute! 😉
The Wheel of Time is back on Amazon Prime! The show based on the high fantasy novels by Robert Jordan is now in its third season, and whether you love it or hate it, one thing I can’t deny is that the costumes look epic. I wish I had an excuse to dress like this in real life. What’s in between a LARP and a costume party?
Thanks for reading!
Until next time,
Yi-Hwa
A) I don't think I knew you grew up in the UAE! B) That cafe in Tokyo looks incredible - I have to go. C) LOVE the idea of taking yourself on a writing retreat. I will be doing this myself now.
Thanks for sharing!