In case you just met me, I get busy. Really busy sometimes. Sometimes so busy that I'm surprised I can keep up with myself. And sometimes I just need to relax. I knew when I returned to my writing that there would be days when I would feel like I can't seem to get anything done. When story ideas and rewrites and deadlines would seem overwhelming. That's when I know I just need to take some time and relax. Turn off the TV, shut down the computer, put on some soft music and give myself permission to just STOP the roller coaster ride for a little while and get off...
It doesn't matter whether you take 15 minutes or a whole day...it's the fact that you have stopped long enough to take care of the most important thing in your life...YOU! Writers tend to be focussed individuals who do a lot for those around them. Spouses, children, agents, editors, publishers, readers, fans...you get the idea...we expend all this energy in the service of others and sometimes fail to realize we need to re-energize ourselves every once in awhile in order to maintain this crazy writing life that we have come to love.
Create an action plan today on how you are going to handle those moments when you need to relax and re-energize. Later you can retreat back into that wonderful world of imagination inside your head where all your ideas are crystal clear and waiting to be born. Who knows what may lie just around the bend? With a renewed sense of self, you might even catch a successful wave on that path to publication!
