My suitcase just spent 10 days in a hotel in Austin, Texas. I hope it had a nice time. I was at home in California because, while I’d managed to rebook myself out of Texas when the airline melted down on Christmas Day, my luggage remained. I did eventually get it back, intact, which was nice.

In November, my suitcase took a detour to Munich when I went to Nuremburg. We were reunited the following day.

Four years ago, my suitcase spent an entire week with a courier service in France, never quite making it to where I was in the Loire Valley—until literally 15 minutes before I returned to Paris.

Even longer in the past, I made a flight connection in Paris but my suitcase didn’t, leaving me luggageless in Barcelona for a couple of days.

So my suitcases have adventures without me. It’s bound to happen when you travel often. The good news is that none of these resulted in a disaster. During the most recent separation I was home, so it was easy to go without the contents of my suitcase. In France and Spain I went shopping for replacements—the airlines paid, and I got to keep my new stuff as a souvenir. I was a little more stuck in Germany since I was staying in an apartment in a small city and arrived after the shops were closed. But I had basic toiletries in my carryon, and I washed my clothing in the sink and dried it on the towel warmer overnight (man, I love those towel warmers!).

The point here is that when traveling I have emergency backup plans if I arrive without my suitcase, and I find ways to adapt. I enjoy my trip even if it means making an unscheduled stop at Carrefour to stock up on underwear and t-shirts. Hell, I discover that shopping at Carrefour is really fun (I do love going to supermarkets abroad) and that they have my favorite facial wash on sale! Or I find my favorite-ever leggings at the H&M in Tours for 10 Euros. Win!

And that’s a good metaphor for writing as well. Even when I attempt to plot out a story ahead of time—which is rare for me—things rarely go according to plan. Characters do unexpected things. Surprises pop up. Schemes go awry. Luggage gets misdirected. And when that happens, I need to be willing to adjust. Instead of fighting the flow of the story, I need to adapt to the unforeseen. It’s often a little frustrating at first, but in the end it makes the journey—the story, that is—all the more interesting.

I’m off now on another trip. This time by car, so I have hope that my luggage and I will remain together. Of course, other misadventures may occur. If so, I will endeavor to accept them gracefully and follow wherever they lead.

***

Kim Fielding is the bestselling author of numerous m/m romance novels, novellas, and short stories. Like Kim herself, her work is eclectic, spanning genres such as contemporary, fantasy, paranormal, and historical. Her stories are set in alternate worlds, in 15th century Bosnia, in modern-day Oregon. Her heroes are hipster architect werewolves, housekeepers, maimed giants, and conflicted graduate students. They’re usually flawed, they often encounter terrible obstacles, but they always find love.

After having migrated back and forth across the western two-thirds of the United States, Kim calls the boring part of California home. She lives there with her family and her day job as a university professor, but escapes as often as possible via car, train, plane, or boat. This may explain why her characters often seem to be in transit as well. She dreams of traveling and writing full-time.

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A complete list of Kim’s books: http://www.kfieldingwrites.com/books/