Life in the Tropics Getting in the Way of Writing

As you are likely aware, I am writing this post from Ecuador. It is warm, mostly sunny, and tropical. Cerveza and vino are not in any short supply, nor are a wide variety of seafoods, fruits, and vegetables. There is a 10 km long beach to walk, a wide and relatively flat beach at low tide. At times I get to skinny dip in the ocean waters, especially during the week, and sometimes I even get to do some sunbathing on the more abandoned stretches of the beach.

The town of Olon is where I am located. Three kilometres down the beach, a hamlet called Curia hosts a small church and a few beach bars. Another two kilometres down the beach leads to a small village called San Jose. Walking another five kilometres takes me to the end of the beach and a town called La Entrada. Typically, my wife and I walk about eight kilometres each day, sometimes more, and rarely less. A day without walking has yet to happen though we each take turns making a threat to take a day off from a minimum of three hours spent wearing as little as legally possible on the stretches of the beach.

Now, this causes a problem for me, a major problem. Where do I find time to write? I do manage to write blog posts, but even that has become hit and miss. The only productive “author” time I have spent is in editing existing work. Now, I don’t want to “dis” editing, as that is an important task for any author. However, there are so many stories waiting to be written. If I was back home on the frozen tundra of the Canadian prairies, I wouldn’t be tempted to spend so much time away from my desk. I will just have to console myself with the knowledge that someday, these tropical experiences may yet end up in one of my books.