The Virtues of Taking a Break (AKA, I’m BAAAAACK)

I hope everyone had a good holiday.  I got just enough turkey and fixins to satisfy my craving without unnecessarily expanding my waistline.  And this morning I’m back to running.  I actually managed to jog the whole way at a 13 minute mile.  Not fast, but I didn’t have to stop and walk, which made me really happy after having taken two weeks off.  I took advantage of the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales to pick up some new running pants and some of those moisture wicking long sleeved shirts for winter runs.

I also took a break from writing.  Six whole days.  Normally that would make me really twitchy, but the book hadn’t been going well, and I was to a point where I really didn’t want to look at it.  I’d been creeping forward, struggling with a scene I was positive sucked big monkey butt (though Claire assured me it didn’t).  So I just didn’t look at it.  We took a mutual break, during which time I read fluffy contemporary romance, plotted more fluffy contemporary romance, and did a lot of cooking.

Then I sat down yesterday and cranked out 2,000 words, knocking out the next scene.   Booyah!  Obviously taking a break was good for me.  I managed to pull myself out of the miasma of suck perception and get back into the actual book.

Seven scenes to go.

I’m giving myself another self imposed deadline, this one for December 8th.  Because I started this book on December 8th last year, and it just seems right to finish it by or before that date.

Today’s scene is going to be rough.  I’ve got to kill off one of my good characters, and I expect to weep copiously.  I got to the brink of this earlier, but then did some rearranging of my outline so that this pivotal scene came later, closer toward the end, before the final battle.  Can’t put it off anymore.

At least I get to console myself by decorating the tree.  We went to pick it up at a local mom and pop place yesterday.  $40 instead of the $90 Lowes wanted for a 9′ tree.  Except when we got it home, it was more like 11′.  The bottom of the trunk was crooked as can be (somehow we didn’t see this at the store), so we had to cut a foot or so off.  It’s still about 10′ and ginormous.  Absolutely perfect for our big, tall ceilinged living room.  I’m thinking decorating it is going to be a multi-day affair, just because getting lights on the thing is going to be…difficult.  We pulled all the Christmas decorations out last night, and now the attic is half empty (we have a LOT of Christmas decorations).  This will be the year I figure out what we’ll truly use in a bigger house and cull whatever we don’t.  This year, there will be STOCKINGS on the MANTLE.  I am very excited by this prospect, even if it’s mostly just the dogs who will have stuff in theirs.

4 thoughts on “The Virtues of Taking a Break (AKA, I’m BAAAAACK)

  1. The decorating… ::sigh:: Yeah, that’s what I’m missing right now. Sitting in a hotel room for a couple of weeks. Hubby put the tree up without me because we don’t know exactly when I’ll get home, but he knows I love Christmas.
    Good luck on your scene today!

  2. congratulation on getting back to running since you are go at having several project going at once how do you get back in the mood when you open a story you have not visited in a long time?

  3. That’s great that you’re getting back to your WIP and seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.

    Ah, Christmas. Thanksgiving wasn’t so great for me this year, as you know, so hopefully Christmas will be better. I’m trying to really get into the mood. It’s about time for us to get our tree, too.

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