Sigh... isn't he cute? Ten points to Gryffindor and a gold star if you know what this little critter is (Amy doesn't count because she sent him to me). Some days you just need to stop, smile, and play with the invertebrates.Today I'm taking some time off from writing. Maybe going beach combing with the kids. Maybe just lazing around the house and enjoying a good book.
After a long week the brain needs to recharge, and so does the soul. I found myself staring at writing on Friday with no creative inspiration hitting me. Everything felt flat. None of my stories grabbed my interest. Even the house remodeling has ground to a halt in this chilly November weather. The only thing that did interest me was seashell hunting at the beach.
Why? I honestly can't say what the appeal is in a rationale fashion.
The good seashell beach is an hour away. It's not very warm out, and a little but windy, both which make for miserable days at the beach. And dragging three kids out for an adventure when I really want to nap in the hammock sounds borderline psycho ward time. But there's something soothing about walking along sugar sand beaches next to clear blue waters and picking up delicate gems of the ocean.
My favorite holiday memories all involve beaches. My favorite Christmas ever was a hot, humid Christmas spent on an island near Houston chasing crabs and peacocks, collecting seashells, and decorating the trees with dried chili peppers while lanterns flickered in the dark. The smell of wassail, chili, and Granddad's coffee in the morning mixed with a salty sea breeze and the sound of sailboats creaking in the harbor.
A writer needs those kind of memories more than chocolate. Before you can write about life, you need to have a life. We need to experience the wind in our face, the grass between our toes, the rain, the sun, the burnt dinners with friends, and the gourmet meals with family.
Friday my writing felt flat because I was flat. I've invested every spare moment to writing or editing for over a month. I haven't taken the time to stop and smell the roses, to experience life. So I'm off to the beach to recharge my battery and get some fresh air.
What do you do to recharge?
Read, mostly. Forget writing for a while, forget trying too hard, and do something to remind me of fun. Sometimes random writing, but more often, like you, something that involves getting the heck away from the computer, and having a life. People, nature... these things feed me, and feed my writing.
ReplyDelete(Also, totally claiming the points and the star >:))
ReplyDeleteAwww, love this post. And I love your memory of Christmases on the beach. That sounds SO divine and so much better than the snow-dumped freaking cold here. Sigh. I need a change from this, is all. I want a beach!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, we have to live life first before writing. I'm the opposite of you right now. Finally getting back into writing. :)
Can not believe there is so much difference between the beach in Corpus Christi and Houston. My new wife and I took the top layer of our wedding cake from Indiana to her brother who was in Air Force basic training. They did not want to let them have it, Sgt to Sgt. we cut a deal and they got ten minutes and the drill instructor said he better not find a crumb, he didn't. Then for romantism we drove from San Antonio to Corpus to sleep on the beach. It lasted maybe ten minutes. We were being ate alive and spent the night sleeping in a 69 Mustang. Not exactly a roomy car. Then it did not start in the morning. We still remember it though.
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