I was out this weekend for a family event. Had a great time and took a break away from writing. That was strange for me, since I have not taken off more than a two days in a year from producing.
I realized that I’ve been going hard at my writing for a very long. I’m drained and thought I would take a break for a while to enjoy a two week stretch and give my work in progress a breather. I’m also waiting for beta readers to comment on my finished novel which I’m nervous about.
Not writing
It felt wrong to me and somehow necessary all the same.
Then, something interesting happened. James Scott Bell posted yesterday on the TKZ, which you can see that post here; Inspired Every Morning | Killzoneblog.com
Not only is Mr. Bell a talented novelist and writing teaching—he also has taken the time to help inspire his followers. In thanking Mr. Bell for doing that, I didn’t offer a favorite quote of mine, like he asked us to do. Normally if I comment, I do what the contributor in TKZ is asking. Instead, he bantered back. “We all need that little kick in the pants from time to time, Ben. Cheers!”
Strange how someone so far away and online could flip the thinking switch in my head. Not sure Mr. Bell knew I needed a little jolt, but I will safely assume he did not.
As I was driving us back home, I realized that if I straying I needed to do two things.
- I’ll allow myself some room to breathe. Yes, my enjoyment of writing has been stressful to produce over 2021. Not good.
- I’ve kept up a healthy quota and tracked my progress. I have written almost 200,000 words in 2021 which includes my second drafts for my work. That is two novels worth of work.
BTW, I have too many favorite quotes. I use a new one each day as a post on my social media. But the one that would apply right now is the above which I might post up on the wall in front of me. The words should always be simple and natural, which is how I want to be remembered.
Ben Lucas 