How To Write A Road Trip - Tumblr Posts

any tips for writing road trips?

Hi :)

How to write a road trip

For a road trip there are a few things to consider that change how you go about it:

Purpose

Just wanting to have a road trip

Is there a specific place they need to go to?

What is going to wait for them at the end?

Route

If there is a specific place, they need to be at they should take the direct route there

If it’s just for fun they can go and stop in any direction whenever they want

You can include some obstacles, like road blocks, traffic jams, construction sites, getting lost, etc.

If you use actual places, try to figure out the time it takes to get from point A to point B

Sleeping arrangements

A few options: in the car, in a tent, in a motel

Depends on where they are, their budget and the weather

Passengers

How many people are in the car?

What is their relationship?

Are they carefree and happy or is there tension between them?

Plot points

The plot is like a road trip itself - it moves from one point to another and then ends at a point you choose

So, you can choose different stations during the trip to include different plot points and further the plot

Maybe something major always happens when they have to stay in the car with nowhere else to go

Maybe they only have important conversations at night

End of the trip

You should interconnect the end of the trip with the end of the plot you wanted to get across

It’s like reaching the destination in both aspects

That makes for the most satisfying end for the reader

Road Trip Ideas

picnic at the side of the road

quick bathroom breaks

having a snack stock pile

homemade sandwiches

getting lost

fights about which way to go

being stuck in traffic

the perfect road trip playlist

and still fighting over the music

phone batteries being dangerously low and no way to charge them

trying to read an actual paper map

packing too many useless things

while forgetting something important

looking out for places to sleep

contemplating if the creepy motel is worth it

sleeping in the car, uncomfortable in all the wrong places

sleeping under the starry sky

not seeing a single soul for miles

randomly stopping at interesting things

watching the sun set and rise again

measuring time with McDonald's signs they see

visiting small towns

coming across ghost towns

exploring the remnants of civilization

arriving at their destination feeling either more connected to each other or farther away from each other

I hope you enjoy this and have fun writing it!

- Jana