Taking a Writer’s Research Trip: My Week in Byron Bay

There’s no denying that writing a book is really bloody hard. But occasionally you get the opportunity to do some really cool, fun things in the name of writing research, and a week ago I did exactly that. EAT PRAY SHAG (the second book in the Laura the Explorer series) has a huge chunk of the story set up in Byron Bay, a wonderful semi-famous beachside town up in the northern part of NSW (about a nine hour drive north of Sydney). I’d been to Byron Bay four years ago, which is where the inspiration to set this book there came from, however as I was writing the first draft I found my memory of the place a little sketchy. Plus, a lot can change in a town in four years!

So, as I reached the end of that first draft and started to work out how to improve the manuscript, I decided that I needed to revisit Byron Bay and do all of the things my characters do up there so I could give readers a much more accurate feel to the place.

Cue trip to Byron Bay!

Weirdly, this was the very first time I’d ever taken a trip (for more than a night) away on my own. Every other time I’ve travelled has been with family, friends, partner or work colleagues. But although I found the prospect a little intimidating, I really enjoyed my time away. It forced me to go out on my own a lot and just go and sit in pubs or restaurants by myself. I met a few other people who were travelling solo and had some interesting conversations over drinks. But usually I just sat alone with my notebook and made a really conscious effort to not do anything other than observe my surroundings.

I got a lot of writing done while I was there (predominantly at the Byron Bay library, which was lovely!) and I visited many great café’s and restaurants. But most importantly there were a few particular locations where chapters of the book are set which I needed to visit.

I won’t elaborate on all of them, as I don’t want to give away any spoilers until after the book is out, but one of the places I wanted to visit – in fact the main reason I felt I needed to revisit Byron Bay – was the Crystal Castle. There are a few scenes set here and I really knew they would be so much better if I visited the place again. Unfortunately the week I was there was the week in November when NSW suffered a major bushfire Armageddon! Aside from the smoke everywhere, there was an out-of-control fire in the Byron Bay hinterland, not too far from the Crystal Castle. Add to that the fact that the daily conditions were forecast to be catastrophic, and so the Crystal Castle closed.

Of course, I didn’t realise this. The Crystal Castle’s website says it’s open every day of the year, excluding Christmas day and Easter. I didn’t think to check their website or social channels on the day I planned to go and spend there. So I went driving out through tinder-dry bush and farmland to visit the place – only to pull up and discover the closed sign out the front. I was devastated! I only had one more day in Byron Bay, and there was no guarantee that the Castle would open the next day since the fire risk was still forecast to be high. I considered changing my flight back to Sydney so that I could visit, but luckily that wasn’t necessary. The Castle opened the following day, and even though I had something else organised for the morning I managed to get a quick visit in the afternoon. It wasn’t quite the slow contemplation and brainstorming all day at the place I had hoped for, but it was enough for me to get a much more accurate description in the book.



Closed the first time, but made it the next day!

All up, I spent four nights in Byron Bay, exploring the town, the beach, and a few particular places that feature as settings in the book, plus quite a lot of time at the Byron Bay library.

So, if anyone is planning a writing research trip, here are my tips and insights:

· PLAN your trip thoroughly. Have agendas for each day and backup plans (i.e. don’t leave visiting crucial places to the last day or two in case they close unexpectedly). If you can buy tickets for places online in advance, then do so.

· Work out where you will write. Before going, I thought I’d get lots of work done in the hotel room, but when I arrived I discovered it wasn’t that great in there (the windows looked straight out onto another motel). Luckily, I’d spoken to a writing friend a week before my trip, and he had mentioned that the Byron Bay library was great. I hadn’t even considered that there was a library in Byron Bay, so this tip proved to be invaluable.

· Don’t aim to get too much writing done. If the point of your trip is research, then try to just absorb what it’s like in the place, rather than focussing too much on your laptop. Your memories from the trip will serve exceptionally well when you go to write those scenes in the coming weeks.

· Get off your phone. Like the above point, you’re there to observe and absorb. It can be weird sitting by yourself at a restaurant and not looking at a phone/book/computer i.e. looking like you’re doing something. But it can also be quite fun. Plus, you’re more likely to make unexpected friends.

I can’t wait to share EAT PRAY SHAG with everyone, and talk more about the real locations once the book is out!