September seems to be the perfect time to pack a bag and venture out to see a bit of the world. The weather is often beautiful and golden, the crowds diminished and costs a little lower.

Travel, whether by train, plane or automobile (not to mention, boat, bus and on foot), presents the ideal environment for gleaning new ideas for stories, whether from snippets overheard or glimpses seen, or simply through having the space and time to daydream. Those brief pockets of transience open up the imagination and give it room to unfurl.

Alternatively, travel itself can provide your story’s setting. Deposit your protagonist on a train station, consult a timetable and see where the journey takes them, you and your future readers.

If you write or create something prompted by this, please send an email to judydarley(at)iCloud.com to let me know. With your permission, I’ll publish it on SkyLightRain.com.