Never Give Up!

Never give up! Never surrender! - Commander Peter Quincy Taggart, Galaxy Quest

 

 Apparently, I scared a few people with Wednesday's post. I'm not quitting. The point was even in a career you absolutely love, you need a vacation once in a while.

I know too many writers I started with back in 2011 who have disappeared into the ether. They had the dream right in their sweaty palms and lost it. In some cases, reality didn't match the dream. For a few, they did what the set out to do and wrote that one book to say they were an author. In others, they overwhelmed themselves by feverishly writing and publishing as fast as they could until they burned out and never wanted to look at a manuscript again, like a kid puking up his Halloween candy because he devoured it all in one sitting.

The last couple of weeks, I've dreaded opening up my laptop. Partly because the current wip is kicking my ass. Partly because my heroine is being driven mad at a time when I'm struggling with SAD. And partly because I need to recharge the well. I've given up most of my own entertainment in order to get this project completed.

It doesn't help that I'm doing a publishing challenge. I hate quitting with a passion, but I don't want to sacrifice my love of writing on the altar of completing this challenge. I realized my toes were hanging off the edge of a cliff, and if I weren't careful, the rest of me could fall in the chasm.

No one wants that. Especially me.

So this isn't about quitting. This is the proverbial vacation. After a day or three, I'll get the itch to crack open the laptop despite myself. And that's what I want in the long run.

Besides, you can't get rid of me that easily.

Batteries Recharging

I took the last couple of days off. Got some sleep. Read a little. Watched TV. And I feel better than I have after the last two and a half months.

Three months ago, I was packing for Las Vegas, a combined work/vacation trip. It was educational and productive, but I was on my way home and had a short layover in St. Louis when the first death from COVID-19 was announced.

With 87,000 dead across the U.S. now, we are starting to accept the new normal. Well, most of us are. It means masks and hand washing. It means keeping physical distance. It means new procedures just for going to the doctor and grocery shopping.

In a very selfish way, I'm excited that Starbucks is open again. I may not be able to sit at a table to write, but I can pick up a tea or coffee to take home and write.

Plus, DH and I are cleaning the apartment this weekend. In addition to clean sheets, I plan to reclaim my desk from the pile of paperwork and dust bunnies.

It's easy to say you have to be kind to yourself, but sometimes, it's a lot harder to actually do it.