Yay Friday! I hope your week went well.
Recently, I had an attitude adjustment. Every blog about writing or by writers, eventually, touches on the topic of professionalism and treating writing as a job.
I am not going to dispute that wisdom. If you’re in it for the long haul and you want to be published (or stay published), then you have to realize that writing isn’t sitting around waiting to be struck by genius. There comes a time in every writer’s day, month, year (take your pick) when you have to do the deed. You know, sit at your computer and write stuff – whether you feel like it or not.
Kind of like being an employee at a day job. I have a full time job. I also consider writing a job and when I am actively working on a story, I do it after the paid job.
Which brings me to the attitude adjustment. For the last few weeks, I’ve written my 2,000 – 3,000 words a day from Monday – Friday (after my day job ends) and I’ve taken the weekends off!
And by off, I mean, I don’t even turn my laptop on. For the last several years, my trusty laptop has been on 364 days of the year. The only day it got off was Christmas day because family comes over.
So far, it’s been therapeutic. I don’t feel all – “Ugh, I have to write today.” I admit, I’ve been getting a little grouchy about writing. Like it was a ball and chain. Until I realized that even with my day job, I take time off and I sure don’t feel guilty about it. Why should writing be different than any other profession?
That doesn’t mean I won’t write on the weekend. I will. But it’s also nice to know that I don’t have to feel guilty for taking a day trip with my family or grocery shopping so we can eat all week. Or read a book. Or just veg and pet my cat.
BTW- Mystic Hero is over the 55,000 words mark, well on it’s way to first draft completion in the next week or two. Yay!
See? It’s all about attitude. If you find yourself in a rut or so stressed out you can’t think straight it might be time for an adjustment!
Anyone else feel the need to take time away? How do you veg?
Casey Wyatt 
I am SO in need of an attitude adjustment. For such a long time, I was on a constant GO GO GO! I wrote every day until one in the morning. I never took time off.
I started begrudging the writing. I started feeling pressured to write, but I didn’t feel the story. And when I first started taking time off, I felt guilty about it.
I don’t anymore. I took a whole month off this summer–I edited instead. Sure, it was writing, but it was different. And I didn’t let it consume me.
Like you said, I get time off from my day job. And I’m useless to everyone if I’m overwhelmed.
Taking time off hasn’t slowed my process any. I’m a slow writer anyway, so losing a month here and there isn’t going to mean fewer books that year. So I camped and had dinner with friends, and played with the kids. And it was awesome. 🙂
And I saw you have a book birthday coming up…at about the same time I do! Yay!
Happy book birthday to us!!! Yay! And I agree, sometimes you just have to take a break – all work and no play makes a person CRAZY! 🙂