Our week in Puerto de Mogan

Up until yesterday we were in Puerto de Mogan in Gran Canaria on a week’s holiday. I read the British headlines with interest, all about the ‘apocalyptic sandstorm’ hitting the Canary Islands, where people had apparently been advised to stay indoors with the doors and windows firmly locked. Typical over-dramatised dross, of course, but experiencing the Saharan sandstorm was interesting nonetheless.

Apocalyptic it was not, but it did admittedly turn the world rather orange for a day (as you can see from the last picture here when we braved the beach) – it was a free exfoliation treatment but there was no way we were going to stay in on our final day of holiday – we’re British – no rain means bikini on the beach!

Aside from that last day, the weather was incredible – hot but not too hot, and that’s their winter (February to be precise). Puerto de Mogan is a perfect holiday destination for families and people who want a nice, quiet holiday. It’s a smallish place with a lovely marina and plenty of restaurants, but unlike most places in the Canaries, it’s pretty dead by 9.30pm.

The downside is if you like walking, there’s not really anywhere to go as it’s all fairly enclosed, but other than that it’s ideal – quite a few nice shops, pretty scenery and lots of choice when it comes to eateries and ‘drinkeries’. There’s a lovely square by the harbour (see pics) where you can eat al fresco and soak up the atmosphere.

If you do need an escape, then you get easily get a bus (bus station is central) to the nearby bigger resorts of Maspalomas or Puerto Rico. We didn’t, because we just fancied a peaceful holiday where we could spend the days on the beach and the evenings eating out.

We self-catered, staying at ‘Modern Apartment in Puerto de Mogan Artes II’ which was indeed very modern, clean, spacious and bang smack in the centre of the resort, about a minute’s walk from the beach – handy. I booked this and taxis to and from airport through booking.com which was splendidly easy peasy – I sound very Judith Charmers.

And of course – I did plenty of writing – all before 11am when the sun came out. Perfect! I’m not three quarters of the way into my new novel, so on the home straight. Speaking of which, despite some poor fellow travellers being delayed 48 hours, we had a mere 2 hour delay. Good ol’ Easy Jet!

Want to write – get a change of scenery

Trying to find time to write anything that could be considered remotely good quality is extremely difficult when you’re trying to balance everyday life. Work, the dreaded ‘life admin’, juggling a family and chores make up a full-time job. How is it possible to do all this and write?

I’ve read interviews with writers before where they’ve said things like ‘even if you only have five minutes, you can still write a few paragraphs’. Hmm. I’m cynical of this. It takes five minutes for me to warm up my computer and remind myself what happened in the story the last time I wrote. Advice such as ‘when you’re waiting in your car to pick-up your kids, whip out your notebook…’ leaves me cold. Great if it works for you, but it sure doesn’t work for me.

Plus, you need time to get into ‘the zone’ – or ‘flow’, whatever you like to call this. Getting into the flow is amazing. It’s when you experience the ‘magic’; words fly onto your screen, ideas shoot into your head like never before and time zooms past, to the point that when you finally stop for a break, hours have past and you haven’t even realised. You can’t get this during five minutes on the school run.

Bliss for me is the extremely rare occasion when I have a full day to myself to write and, critically, I get away from my house. Even if it’s just escaping down to the local cafe, I find I get so much more done when I have a change of scenery.

Although going down to the local cafe for a coffee and a teacake someone else has made, is luxurious enough, what’s even better, if you can manage the time and the cost, is to go away for a weekend or a week and spend a substantial amount of that time on your latest project.

I’ve been on day, weekend and week creative writing courses in the UK and Tuscany (okay, Tuscany once many years ago) and find that pretty scenery, a tranquil environment and new people who share your passion, are highly inspirational for writing.

When you have a family and are limited to annual leave from work, then retreats are a rarity, but even a family holiday can offer the space you need to work on your writing – just the increased head space alone is so valuable. When you’re at home, doing your jobs and looking after the family and home, there is very little time to ponder about your plot and your characters, but being away offers a completely different approach.

If you’re struggling to find time and/or inspiration to write, then think about a week or weekend away if finances and time allow. If not, a couple of hours in your local coffee shop could work wonders!