Tag: blog

Do Authors Ever Go On Vacation?

Short answer is…no. At least I don’t. Getting away from my desk is a relief and something I look forward to, but my laptop is never left behind. What if the urge hits me to knock out a few thousand words? I can’t pass up that opportunity.

Although many authors recommend having a set schedule when they write, there is something refreshing about giving yourself a vacation from that “must perform” timeframe. I seem to get more accomplished when I am not writing under the pressure of a deadline. It makes me happy to write “ahead,” almost like I’m cheating by not really taking a break when I have allowed myself time to take a break.

The head-games authors play with themselves are maddening. Or is it just me?

If you are feeling the anxiety of writer’s block, a vacation may be called for. Get away for the weekend. Put yourself in a new setting. Use this time to do writing exercises rather than working on a set project. I love the exercise of people watching. Go to a restaurant, park, or coffee shop. Observe the people around you and make up a conversation that your fellow patrons may be having. Are they arguing? Do they seem suspicious? Who knows? This exercise may make its way into your next story.

Use this “vacation” to sit outside and describe all the sounds you hear. Do you hear animals? Insects? Cars rushing past? Come up with as many adjectives as you can for each sound. Save these for later use in your writing.

Use your nose. How does the rain smell? What about the heat? Yes, heat does have a smell if you open your mind to it. What other items can you describe by smell that you usually take for granted?
For ideas on more exercises, check out The Writer’s Little Helper by James V. Smith, Jr. I enjoyed this book very much and still pull it out from time-to-time when I need motivating. It’s an easy read with fun activities.

My Blog Confession

I have a confession to make.

I've been cheating on this blog page by writing blogs for Blue Dragon Publishing. Ignorantly, I didn't even bother cutting and pasting them into this blog. Please forgive me. I'll try to do better. In the meantime, if you want to catch up, you can read what I've written at http://blue-dragon-publishing.com/blog/.

I've been reading a lot about time management, and I found a book I really like by Kevin Kruse, 15 Secrets of Successful People Know about Time Management. That's what I have been blogging about lately. I highly recommend you take your time and work on implementing the recommendations he has made as you go along. Try reading only one chapter a week.

I'm going to highlight my favorites here. To read my comments on all 15, please check out the blog on the Blue Dragon site.

Determine what the most important thing is that you need to get accomplished for the day. Some people have called this technique “eat the frog first.” If, first thing in the morning, you knocked out the thing you have been putting off, your day will feel successful and everything else will be easy by comparison. Sounds logical, right? But harder to implement than you think.

You put things off for a reason. Perhaps it’s something you don’t like to do. Or you know it’s going to take a lot of time. But the longer you put it off, the more it grows in your mind and looms over you like a dark cloud. That sense of dread can follow you and weigh you down, even if you don’t realize it. Wouldn’t it be nice to get rid of that negative feeling? The only way to do that is to get it over with.

It might not even be a negative thing, but a hot deadline that you need to devote time to. Don’t open your email, don’t check your phone. Start your day, when you are freshest, with the item you have determined is the most important thing to accomplish.

Before I leave the office for the day, the last thing I do is check my schedule for the next day. I give special consideration to what I put on my schedule for first thing in the morning as the most important thing, and I let my brain churn on it. The next morning, I go through my routine as usual, but when it’s time to work, I start with the first thing on my calendar. I don’t even open my email.

Email is a necessary evil, and it does make life much easier in many ways. It can also be a terrible distraction. Author Kevin Kruse has a whole other chapter on email. For now, suffice it to say, once you open your email, new things will pop up and distract you. Your email waited all night; it can wait a little longer.

Sometimes the project is a big one that will take several days. I just split it up into several blocks of time, but I still put it first every day until it’s complete. Once that task is complete, I allow myself to open my email and knock out the other tasks on the list. But I always have a feeling of satisfaction, having completed something important to me and my business.

So let me know what you think!