How I Turn Travel Into Fiction — One Page at a Time
A simple, 5-part travel journaling method that helped me write three novels
The most unforgettable stories don’t come from the itinerary.
They come from the moments that stop you cold — even if you don’t have the words for them yet.
I was 21 when I moved to Japan and I was walking through the backstreets of Kyoto when I saw her.
A geisha — or maybe a maiko — in full traditional dress. White-painted face. A red and gold kimono. She turned the corner just ahead of me, gliding past with quiet precision before vanishing down a side street.
It lasted maybe five seconds. And then she was gone.
I stood there for a moment, holding my breath. I hadn’t taken a photo. I hadn’t written anything down. The only record was the one in my memory — and I knew even that wouldn’t last long.
That moment — fleeting, mysterious, entirely hers — is one of many that taught me how fragile stories are. How easily they slip away.
It’s why I created my own notebook system — not to chase stories, but to catch them gently before they disappear.
I didn’t write anything down that day. I told myself I would later — but I didn’t.
The moment passed.
And that’s the problem with travel stories. They don’t announce themselves as “chapter one.” They happen fast, raw, often when you’re overwhelmed, tired, or out of your comfort zone.
I knew I wanted to be a writer, but I kept losing the very moments that might have become the emotional heart of something real. I remembered the image, sure — but the sensory texture, the emotion, the deeper question behind it? Gone.
That 2-year adventure teaching English in Japan was when I started journaling — not as a “dear diary” ritual, but as a story-catching system.
And today, I’m sharing that system with you — plus a printable Storytelling Journal Prompt Page you can use for your next trip.
💌 Want the full 5-part journaling system + a printable PDF to carry with you?
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