I have never been what you might call an "adventurous" person. I was rather awkward and never seemed to click all that well even with my friends, let alone strangers. Then of course, the idea of dialectical or complete language barriers was never appealing, and being away from home in a foreign land seemed intimidating.
Of course, I wanted to write, and there is no better catalyst to crafting ideas than knowledge itself. I knew I had to understand the world, but I never truly comprehended how daunting a task that is. I led myself to believe that the internet could provide me all I needed to know. I thought research about biological processes and ecosystem dynamics was enough to replace hiking through the Northwoods or kayaking down a river. I believed reading about the class systems and economic trends of ancient Rome was as good as visiting the Roman Coliseum. Obviously, I was wrong.
Reading about something, no matter how specific, doesn’t give those little details. A history book will never teach you the terror of seeing an immense army such as the Terracotta, and a biology book won’t let you feel the coarseness of an Oak tree’s bark compared to that of a Birch. Understanding the world requires feeling the world, and you need more than one sense for that. As much as we rely on our sense of sight, it is also our most blind viewpoint.
I am still getting used to the idea of traveling, but I’ve learned sometimes all someone needs is a little push. Maybe it’s an experience that teaches them not to fear the world. Maybe it’s the process of just starting the journey. Maybe it’s as simple as having someone come along who they feel at home with. Either way, we should all try to go exploring now and then.
As my Creative Writing teacher explained to our class the other day, you can only see a possible story if you are immersed in life. Knowledge is fine and dandy, but experience—tasting the mist, sniffing the fragrances, feeling the crunch of dry foliage at your feet—that is where a story comes from.
We can’t make a reader feel as though they are in our world unless we are in it too.
