Want to write a Book? Research Your Memories

One place you might not have thought about to use as a research tool is your own brain. Memories are a strange thing, there are only three things we can do with them—savor them in our mind and then they die with us, relate them orally to our friends and family who can savor them after we’re gone, or write them down in stories, poems, or books that the world can enjoy.

After I lost my husband, people said, “Why don’t you write about your experiences dealing with his illness” But I thought, “Who wants to read about someone else’s health challenges, we all have our own stories.” Then I realized I had some great memories of our travel adventures together off-roading and traveling rural Nevada and other great areas. So, my book, Beyond Las Vegas: Road Trips from A to Z, was born.

Many of the stories in the book are from some of the great memories we shared during our adventures. And then I added a few more memories with new friends and with family members who shared my love for adventure.

So, I encourage you to think about your memories. Good ones and bad ones. Funny ones and sad ones. Ones that helped you grow as a person. Ones that you shared with loved ones. Ones that you’ve kept hidden or forgotten about for years. Ones that helped you through bad times. Ones that perhaps others could learn from, or be amused by, or can empathize with. Incorporate these memories into the characters you write about.

Research for my travel book was so much fun. Here are just a few places I’ve gotten to visit. All of these are featured in my book, Beyond Las Vegas: Road Trips from A to Z. I hope you’ll have as much fun researching your book.

Alamo, NV I’ve been to the Alamo in San Antonio, TX but this is a very different Alamo. The town of Alamo is in southern Lincoln County, just ninety miles north of Las Vegas. It is close to the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge. The Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge has over 5,000 acres of open wetlands and lush green grasslands. In the summertime you’ll see the green, however I think it’s still beautiful in winter, just don’t expect to see much green; it’s more like our “beautiful, brown Nevada” then. An important stop on the Great Pacific Migratory Route, thousands of migratory birds and waterfowl fly through this area every year. Dozens of bird species can be found in this valley, and it is one of over five hundred managed areas in the National Wildlife Refuge system. The lake is beautiful any time of year and you can take the gravel road to get a closer look or to spend the night in one of the lovely, quiet camp sites.

Blue Diamond, NV is an easy drive from the southwest area of Las Vegas. Plan to visit the nearby Spring Mountain Ranch where you can enjoy a picnic, a hike to peaceful Lake Harriet, and visit the home that at different times in its history belonged to Howard Hughes and to Vera Krupp. Spring Mountain Ranch is also the home to the Super Summer Theatre. Check out the schedule on our Event Calendar. You’ll most likely still be able to spot wild burros in the area. Do not feed them, follow the warning signs about that! I especially love the sign leading onto Blue Diamond: Population: Low; Elevation: High; Burros??

Boulder City, NV is most noted for its proximity to Hoover Dam and known as “the city that the dam built,” it is a charming small town. Next to the Boulder Dam Lodge, you can catch a helicopter for an aerial tour of the dam. If, like Sheldon Cooper, you have an affinity for trains, you can take a short ride on the Southern Nevada Railroad train in an open-air car or, when it’s hot, an air-conditioned coach. And now you can ride the Rail Bikes, a new addition to the railroad fun. Don’t forget to visit Hemenway Park, where the bighorn sheep come to graze almost daily. Enjoy a picnic in one of the pavilions and you can graze right next to the sheep if they’re there that day. If you’re adventurous, you can sky dive at the Boulder City Airport and take the zipline through Bootleg Canyon. On the drive up to the top of the mountain, you’ll see an actual “still” in a cave in the rock, leftover from the days of Prohibition when the casino owners from downtown Las Vegas, came to Bootleg Canyon to get their booze.

China Ranch, CA: This is an interesting place with a rich history. One legend is that Chinese workers in the Borax mines were promised a plot of land in exchange for their labors. When their time was up, they were given land in the middle of “nowhere” in the harsh desert. However, they were able to grow date palms and create a nice oasis in the desert, known as China Ranch Date Farm. Approximately half of the trees are male and produce only pollen. The females bear fruit in the fall, yielding from 100 to 300 pounds of dates in a season. When you visit, you will likely see the colorful covers protecting the dates from birds. There is also an easy hiking trail where you’ll see some relics from the history of the place. And, of course, you must sample the famous date milk shakes.

And these only cover some of the ABCs, the book has at least one adventure for all 26 letters of the alphabet. So perhaps you live in or near Las Vegas or are planning to visit soon and are looking for some adventure other than gambling and seeing shows. Pick up Beyond Las Vegas Road Trips from A to Z Beyond Las Vegas: Road Trips from A to Z on Amazon.