• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • ABOUT
    • BIO
    • About August
  • ARTICLES
  • BOOKS
  • true stories
  • PODCAST
  • MEDIA
  • Girl Boner
  • CONTACT

Girl Boner®

Sexual Empowerment with August McLaughlin

Home • Writing • How to Write Efficiently on Planes

How to Write Efficiently on Planes

October 7, 2011

Lemme guess. You can relate to this:

Your right elbow is two centimeters from your neighboring passenger’s and if his eyes wander toward your computer screen ONE MORE TIME, you’ll use it. The woman in front of you finally stopped yapping at the top of her vocal capabilities only to recline her chair back so far back it nearly crushes your beloved laptop, ripping you from the end of what was sure to be your most poignant sentence to date. (Crap! What was I saying???) She then snores through your none-too-subtle knee jabs to her back, which seems to trigger a nearby infant’s screaming fit. But you have three uninterrupted hours to WRITE! And dang-nabbit, you’re going to.

How you ask? Here is what’s working—er, um…I imagine would work, for me…

1. Open a document or web page featuring information sure to off-put your neighbor. StopVaginitisNow.com for example, quickly deters young, embarrass-able males… Self-Pleasure Techniques for Her can stave off a persnickity, anti-feminist female. (Caution: Do not mistakenly use option B for passenger A.)

2. Type I KNOW YOU’RE READING THIS, BUSTER! (Insert more “colorful” terms as desired) in bold, large letters.

3. Gather up your frustration and convert it into writing fuel. Use your anger to strategically kill off the bad guy…your despair to convey the loneliness an imprisoned woman feels knowing she may never pursue her dreams…your humor to write a goofy satire involving a frustrated writer whose trouble-filled plane ride leads to fortune, fame and countless best-sellers…

Ideas to add? I’m all ears. My row buddy might appreciate it, too. (Yeah, YOU!) 

Share with your friends!

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Writing 6 Comments

SIGN UP FOR OCCASIONAL EXTRAS:

Previous Post: « Author Mike Sirota on Writing and His Latest Work
Next Post: Stories: Where the Truth Comes Out »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. 3by3 writing method says

    October 7, 2011 at 4:59 pm

    Hi august. Love the post (and your meet up group)

    Since I travel in coach my problem is not my seat buddies, but space. My laptop does not open far enough on that narrow snack (what snack) tray.

    My solution is to open it up entirely and rest the screen on the back of the seat and type gingerly.

    Someday I’ll get a pad that is designed for writing, until then, its a cramped couple of hours until my old and dented battery dies.

    Reply
    • August McLaughlin says

      October 8, 2011 at 2:38 pm

      Ha…No pain no gain, right? Always an adventure, this writing life… As is your book! More on that soon.

      Have a fantastic weekend. Hope to see you at Louise’s!

      Reply
  2. Nigel Blackwell says

    October 8, 2011 at 1:30 am

    Hi August. I used to travel a lot and I sympathize with your pains to try and get some work done on an airplane. Its a squeeze to use an iPod in economy, let alone a laptop. In fact I gave up and just carried a book with me.
    I guess writing an article in a suitably large font could work. Describing the person next to you under a title HOW TO SPOT IF THE PERSON NEXT TO YOU HAS IBS could do the trick.
    Hope you managed to get something done!
    Cheers

    Reply
    • August McLaughlin says

      October 8, 2011 at 2:33 pm

      Great tips, Nigel. I did get work done, thank goodness. Helped that my neighbor finally fell asleep. (I SWEAR it wasn’t me who put the Nyquil swig in her drink… ;))

      Reply
  3. Mike says

    October 10, 2011 at 6:16 pm

    I find I get my best ideas looking over others shoulders on planes. Maybe I should keep that to myself. Oops.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Traveling Tips and Doo-Dads for Writers « August McLaughlin's Blog says:
    July 9, 2012 at 6:18 am

    […] brings a whole new set of challenges, from typing on airplanes without laptop-squish or over-the-shoulder story stalkers to toting the “office” along […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search

Categories

Listen on Apple Podcasts!

Shop for toys 🙌🏾

Join me on Patreon!

© 2025 August McLaughlin – All Rights Reserved

I deeply respect and protect visitors’ privacy. Find details here.

%d