Taking a train across the country may seem old fashioned to some, but for Fables creator Bill Willingham, it suits his creativity just fine. Willingham was one of the 16,000 applicants to Amtrak’s writer’s residency program, and one of just 24 to be accepted. He spoke to CBS News about his experiences in a segment that aired on October 23, 2014.

The moving landscape served as inspiration for Willingham as he traveled from Red Wing, MN to Seattle, WA and back over the course of six days. Besides working on his comic books, he also worked on a screenplay and a short story, the latter of which took place on a train, of course.

“The best thing about it is no editor can get in touch with me,” he said. “Everything just kind of mentally slows down.”

More information about Willingham’s experience and about Amtrak’s residency program can be found at Amtrak’s website.