I recently led an all-day in-the-field writing workshop in one of my favorite places on the planet, the hamlet of Point Reyes Station, population about 900, located an hour west of San Francisco, on the edge of the continent. The purpose of the workshop was to replicate a day in the life of a travel writer—or more specifically to illustrate how I go about trying to “get” a place and a story when I’m out in the world. The first part of the day involved walking around the town as a group, and our focus …