Florida or Bust: Remember to take a Break

Hello from the Sunshine State!

I’m writing to you from the lovely city of Naples, in the home my parents rented for the month.  After a tumultuous past couple of weeks I realized that I needed a break.  A breather.  A sabbatical, if you will.  So I packed my bags and flew down to spend some much needed relaxation time with my loved ones.

Sometimes life can be a little overwhelming.  There are a lot of balls in the air for me right now and I’m not a very good juggler.  The important thing to remember, when everything seems uncertain, is that you have people who love and care about you.

Writers, I’m talking to you now.  If you get to a point in your latest manuscript where you feel lost, frustrated, or ready to commit manuscripticide (totes a word) take a break!  Just because steam is coming out of your ears doesn’t mean you’re getting anything done.  Yes, writing is hard.  But it does not come before your physical and mental wellbeing.

If you’ve got a few chores you’ve been putting off, do them!  If you need to determine whether your knick-knacks really “bring you joy” then Marie Kondo the shit out of your home!  Go out.  Explore the world around you.  Meet new people.

And remember, just because you’re not writing that doesn’t mean you aren’t working on your manuscript.  We write, somewhat, what we know.  If we stayed in our rooms hunched over our laptops all the time our work might be good, but it would be missing something.  Our unique life experiences are what give our writing that flavor that no one else can add.

I would never have thought of The Sword and Shield if I hadn’t taken the leap and gotten my cats.  I’m still not sure where Seer came from, but I’m sure I was influenced by my surroundings in some way.

Anyhoo, I’ve been rambling.  The long and short of it is, don’t bury your head in the sand, closed in on all sides by the weight of the world.  Take a break.  Go outside.  Meet new people.  Try something different.

Live your life to the fullest and you may just find that your experiences breathe new life into your book.

Bye for now!