As a writer it is tempting to lock myself in my little office, hunch over the keyboard, and dredge my imagination for new settings, scenes, and characters. Sometimes seclusion seems the best way to create. I couldn’t be more wrong.

An opportunity recently leapt into my life to travel to the Croatia and Bosnia and I seized that opportunity. As I sat at a low table outside a little, back alley coffee shop in Sarajevo I found myself marveling at the diversity in character and setting flowing around me. Even the Bosnian coffee I sipped tweaked my thoughts on what a character might drink.

People drank coffee a thousand years ago. Will they drink it a thousand years from now? What will they call it?

Tiny streets, soaring mountains, seaside villages, and herds of sheep are just a few of the sights I have taken in over the past few days. Each moment, sight, smell, or taste can find its way into the next scene.

All that points to the creative process needs to be fed. I’m guessing that applies to all areas of life. Get out and feed your imagination.