Writers to Ride With

Road trips can be an exhilarating experience for writers.  When alone, the open road provides a time to ponder story ideas, explore plot turns and character developments.  Or, a time to relax with an audio book and enjoy the written word read aloud.

When with another person, a road trip can be a bonding experience, conversation cruising along as the scenery passes by.

The traveling companion can make or break a road trip.  If you had the opportunity to hit the road with any writer, who would it be?  Any author at all: a rising star, a contemporary great, or a past classic.  Who would you want to share the road with?

For me, the choice would be easy: John Steinbeck.  Steinbeck has long been my favorite writer.  He doesn’t just have skill as a writer – his writing has heart, feeling, soul, and usually a strong message.  He knows how to convey things without having to say them.  A reader gets to know his characters by their actions, not just their thoughts.  And Steinbeck is able to teach without sounding like he wants to preach.  That is, his lessons in life often sneak in; he knows not to hit readers over the head with his point.

I could get lost in a long conversation with John Steinbeck, discussing some of my favorite novels – Of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden – and talking about the art of writing.  I’d even be willing to take a back seat to Charlie, the poodle, for the opportunity for travels with Steinbeck.

That’s my choice.  What’s yours?  Which writer would you ride with?