Thursday, July 13, 2017

So this is how other people live?

I have not been writing.

This is very odd for me. I am almost always working on a new story. But I've taken these first few days of July to decompress, get caught up on some reading, and put my brain in neutral.

The first thing I've noticed is time: when you're not working on a book, there's a lot of free time. I work full-time, so that's 40-50 hours out of my week that's taken. I normally spend 2-3 hours a day working on writing, and an hour or two thinking about writing. When I free up 3-5 hours of Brain Time, that's a lot of free time.

How am I using it? Doing some reading -- I read outside my genre, so I'm reading historical fiction and other books. That's hard, though. I nitpick them and find all the errors, mentally critique them, and end up skimming a lot. I'm just not much of a reader anymore, sadly. I'm a writer, first and foremost.

I'm also getting caught up on organization -- cleaning out files, re-doing some bookcases, etc. I'm also doing a bit of charity sewing (but it's too hot to do much of this).

All of this adds up to: I'm getting antsy to get started on writing again. I'm just not set up for passive entertainment (TV, books, movies). I need active entertainment (the kind I write and generate for myself).

I expect that by the next time I post (on the 26th) I'll be elbow-deep into a new manuscript. Let's see, if that comes to pass, I will have taken 10 days off from writing.

Sounds about right ...

J L
(jayellwilson.com)

6 comments:

Leah St. James said...

I have no doubts your next post will be all about your latest story, JL. And everyone needs a break to decompress and air out the brain cells. (I do!) Enjoy the down time from writing, at least for now. :-)

Rolynn Anderson said...

I'm convinced a tight schedule like yours, your normal one, is perfect for accomplishing goals. But your brain needs a break every now and then, so I'm glad you took it! And organizing stuff is another brain-clearing thing. A preparation thing. We'll see author-energy in your blog on the 26th!

Margo Hoornstra said...

Love your 'elbow-deep' visual. That's kind of how it feels when we're actively writing. Enjoy your passive entertainment, for now. Let us in on your progress on the 26th. Good luck!

Brenda Whiteside said...

I can't believe you're even taking 10 days off! You are so prolific. I'm doing the same, but having no trouble filling the time. Doesn't sound like you are either. I'm not getting anymore reading done than normal. I can't handle more than one hour of tv unless it's a movie. I don't sew and gave up crafting years ago. I might make it more than 10 days though cause of the long needed promo organizing I'm doing. I'm anxious to see what political plots you come up with considering the past year and how it's ripe for someone with your talent, JL.

Diane Burton said...

Try to enjoy the break, JL. Relax. Easier said than done, I'm sure. My break is welcome (taking care of Toddler Girl while her parents work). But then my laptop died. Typing on an iPad with one finger is no fun. I'm going to have to break down and buy a new one, not in my budget.

Jannine Gallant said...

It's funny how we get so used to routine it's hard to relax. I'm taking a couple of days off to go to Oregon with my daughter for college registration. (Currently at the motel catching up on my promo before being offline tomorrow.) No writing today...mostly driving...or tomorrow. We'll spend the weekend with my mom, who lives two hours from Ashland. I'll try to get something done while I'm there, or I might go through withdrawals...