Always Take Notes #38: Rory Stewart, author
Sep 11, 2018
Rory Stewart, British politician, former diplomat and travel writer, talks about his long walking journeys, shifts from army and Foreign Office life to on-foot exploration, and the writing processes behind The Places in Between and The Marches. He recalls detention and local protection in Afghanistan, walking the border with his father, and how walking uncovers landscapes and people.
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Diary Practice During The Walk
- Stewart kept a nightly diary for nearly two hours in Iranian notebooks and regularly posted photocopies home.
- He initially insisted the walk wasn't for a book but later faced an abundance of material to shape into narrative.
Afghan Walk Produced A Natural Story Arc
- Stewart realized the Afghan section formed a perfect adventure arc with lost cities, attacks, and vivid encounters.
- He used that structural clarity to write The Places in Between more intensely in isolation.
Use Immersive Retreats To Write Quickly
- Stewart locked himself in Scotland for six weeks to write intensely and produce half the book.
- He recommends immersive, uninterrupted writing retreats to shape a coherent narrative quickly.
