Taking A Break

I was talking to a friend the other day about breaks, specifically, I didn’t think she was getting enough time to herself. But I love my family, she said. You still need time alone alone, say I. Everyone needs a break…even from things (or people) they love.

Physician, heal thyself.

I’ve been flagellating myself lately for not moving as quickly as I think I ought on my new book, Chimera. I’m plodding along, but not at the frenetic pace of my last two novels. As I’ve said before, this one is harder because of researching an unknown (to me) setting, but there’s more to it than that.

Lately I haven’t felt like it.

So I berated myself for not hitting it harder. I examined myself for morose moods ala my last two happiness posts. I even wondered if I needed to pick up some side work if I wasn’t churning out words. Then I had an epiphany when I told my friend she needed a break; I wasn’t sad, I wasn’t lazy, I didn’t need more stuff to do…I just needed time off.

I think about writing all the time: my current book, future books, editing books, marketing books. I get up with these thoughts and I go to bed with them. Wherever I am, whatever I’m doing, characters pop into my brain with a nagging hi there, and, what have you done for me lately? This isn’t bad, but like my friend and her family, even though I love writing we could use some time apart.

It’s summer. The weather is lovely. I’ve spent some nice days on my porch doing…nothing. I read and drank wine and listened to the birds. I’ve visited with friends and shopped with my mom. I’ve worked on several paintings and created a new style. I’ve glued rhinestones on my dance clothing. I’ve watched movies on the couch with my husband.

When I worked in corporate America I took breaks. They’re called vacations. And I never felt bad about that. As a writer, vacations and breaks look different than two weeks on the beach, because I’m finally living my dream career and don’t need that long to recover.

However, writing is a job. I believe I wrote a post about that. :-) Some writers say they write daily. That’s cool, but it’s not me.

Now where did I put those sunglasses?