Funny how little things jump out at you and reiterate that you’re working on the right project at the right time.
At the moment, I’m finishing up a second draft of a story I first wrote in November 2013. It’s had a fairly long incubation period, not only because I was waiting for inspiration to strike, but also because I’ve been so busy with other things. ‘Carys’ (working protagonist title) is set on a cruise ship and is based on the route I took during my own cruise in 2013. So the ports they visit are the same, although the story has morphed dramatically from the first draft into something far more fascinating (I think).
However, thanks to the incubation period, some details of the ports are a little hazy. Sure, I’ve got pictures, but I needed a little guidance on the layout when I came to writing the scenes set in Malaga. So, using the brilliance of Google Maps, I delved into the Street View from 2014 to take a look at the road leading from the cruise terminal. While I was getting my bearings, I realised there was a ship in the terminal. I thought I recognised it and, sure enough, when I zoomed in, I found that it was the ship I’d travelled on – Oceana.
I like those sort of coincidences. Yes, that’s all it is, but it made me feel as though I’m right to be working on this story. I mean, if even Google Maps is telling me to do it, how could I possibly be wrong?