Mexico is for Writers. Seriously. By Carla Damron

I’m just back from Mexico. I was there on some important writer business. I certainly wasn’t there to sample tequila, snorkel, and tour Mayan ruins—those are things tourists do. No, I was there to hone my skills as a novelist, to focus on my craft and my current work-in-process, and learn more about the business end of the writer’s journey.

View from the hotel lobby, where I sat... writing. 

You know, so what if we had a little time off? Taking in more of the island—Cozumel—was the best use of this time to expand my experiences and all. Maybe I’ll even set a novel in Mexico one day. And the tequila tasting? That was me immersing myself in the local culture, something writers ALWAYS do. Yes, I did purchase a couple of bottles, but that was so I could bring what I’d learned home. I can sip when I need reminders about what that cultural experience was like. Writers do stuff like that ALL THE TIME.

And the visit to the Mayan ruins? Setting, my dears. It was all about establishing and describing setting. I took pictures so I can be more authentic when I write--- maybe a mystery set in a temple devoted to Ix Chel, who is now my FAVORITE Goddess, and not just because she didn’t require human sacrifice. I’ll certainly include Ventura, the tiny Mayan unofficial tour guide who educated me about flora, fauna, and the Mayan ways. “We are all small statured. See that little window in the temple? It’s really a door.” And my favorite: “Ventura, do you have snakes here?” A shrug. “Just the boa constrictors.”

I'm told this wouldn't make a good author photo 

Snorkeling was necessary for stress release. Hey—you spend many hours with a bunch of very intelligent, sophisticated writers (who may or may not have been consuming margaritas) and you’d need to unwind, too. So I signed up for a snorkeling venture, and tossed myself into the warm, crystal clear water to marvel at the beautiful sea life. I don’t know how I’ll use this experience in my writing, because Mermaid-centered detective stories are so last year, but it was an incredibly refreshing outing. It rejuvenated me, so I’d be ready to WRITE some more. See? Everything I did was in service to my craft.      

The trip back involved a plane nearly two hours late leaving while the American pilots argued with Mexican airport people about which runway to use. A mad dash in Atlanta through Customs, baggage claim, security, to a gate in a terminal far, far away did not dampen my love of this trip. Even learning that TSA had unwrapped my tequila didn’t do it.

Typical Cozumel sunset. Seriously.

Mexico is a fine place to be in January. You know, to work on craft and stuff.

How about you? Any winter vacations—I mean work trips—planned?

---