I took Memorial Day weekend off.
This was momentous because I work every night and every weekend - on top of my full-time job - and have for so many months now that I can't remember the last time I took three days off. Or two. Or one.
I had a great time. Walked in the sun. Ate some fabulous food as well as a suspect serving of potted duck (not recommended, even if you love potted meat and especially if you love duck). Caught up with old friends. Drank quite a lot of absinthe (just the legal kind, don't get too excited).
It was an exhausting weekend, partially because I flew twice and slept little, but mostly because of how often I interacted. With real, live humans. I forget sometimes, when I'm buried up to my neck in my laptop, that writing is about conveying realistic experiences. Even if you're writing fantasy, sci fi or any other kind of speculative fiction.
If the interactions don't ring true, the reader won't follow. And if the interactions aren't unique, just recycled scenes from the myriad books you've read, they likely won't sell.
So, with three full days of people-watching sloshing through my brain, I'm back at it with new material.
How do you recharge? Where do you find your inspiration?
Sounds like you really needed the time off! I re-charge with a little "Randi time" as well. Sometimes, if I have a good amount of spare time on my hands, I'll actually skip writing and allow my brain to cool down for a little while. It seems like the best opportunity TO write, I know, but I often get more out of it by taking a break.
ReplyDeleteI swear my best ideas - the ones that make the words tumble out - come when I'm not thinking about or trying to write. So, yeah, Randi time is probably a good thing!
DeleteHow to best recharge is a great question - sometimes it is one thing, sometimes another. But in almost all cases it means getting away from the laptop. It's a strange feeling, since I have this idea in the back of my head that writing is always what I should be doing, and anything else is my being lazy, procrastinating, or whatever. Sometimes that's true, but not so often that I should avoid being around actual people whenever the opportunity arises. :)
ReplyDeleteOne Writer's Mind
The longer I've been working, the more I realize that getting away from work is exactly what I need. (In limited quantities :) )
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