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A Fresh Perspective Equals Fresh Writing

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I’ve always believed that placing ourselves in new surroundings can provide inspiration to enhance our writing. Particularly when traveling to different countries, hearing the language, trying the cuisine, taking in the architecture, the culture—anything that is new and different—will jumpstart our sensory perception. This has been my experience, and it’s partly the reason I love to travel. Not that it necessarily makes my writing better, mind you. But a fresh perspective leads to fresh ideas. Or maybe just a fresh approach to an idea I’ve been trying to articulate. A couple of years ago, this penchant for experiencing new places led me to spend fourteen months circumnavigating the globe on a world cruise. The journey took me to 47 countries on six continents. While I can’t say every one of those countries provided that writing inspiration, each one was an eye-opener, even those I’d been to before. Going into any such experience with curiosity on the top shelf of the old toolbox (rathe...
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    A Surprise in the Yucatan         This spring I found myself stranded in Mexico. I know--all sorts of connotations there. But this was one of those "can't make this stuff up" experiences, one that actually resulted in good things once I focused on finding them. This blog is one of those results, and hopefully also one of those good things.     I live in Italy, in a town called Sesto Fiorentino, a suburb of Florence. I retired here nearly five years ago. Each year I like to spend a couple of months in the Western Hemisphere, usually Central America, where I can conveniently visit family in the States or have them take a vacation to visit me. This year I almost didn't make the trip. I'd only recently returned from a 14-month world cruise circumnavigating the globe, and I was still getting settled back into Italia. But I still wanted to see family, too.     Costa Rica has been my go-to, but this year someone suggested Merida, Yucat...
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