In case you missed this, the holidays are not relaxing. And I'm not talking about the regular deal-with-your-family b.s. I'm talking about author stuff. I'm no better myself. I keep looking forward to holidays and coming out the other end disappointed. Allow me to explain...
Holidays mean time off from work. That's awesome. That must mean time to write. Even awesomer! False, dear author. You're about to embark on an experience I like to call "The Holiday Hopefuls." That's when you see several days off work in front of you and make the ridiculous assumption that you'll get some writing done. You won't. Not even a little bit. And if you do, you'll be made to feel guilty for it by that wonderful family of yours.
An author's job is a very solitary one, see, and holidays are filled with people. Nice people, usually, despite the stereotypical grumbling, and usually you'd like to spend time with them. So you do that instead of write. Which is fine. What isn't fine is that you thought there'd be some 'down time' in there when you'd do some writing. So you take your laptop or your notebook with you wherever you go, but you rarely open it up. And if you do, you probably have just enough time to check emails & Facebook, etc. Should that rarity of rarities actually occur and you really do some real writing work, how long before the next once-a-year family distraction will come sauntering through the room or ringing through the phone? Minutes. An hour at most, and even that's a basic miracle. So by the time we authors get back to work after a holiday, the rest of the world asks us that wonderful question, "How was your holiday?" which is immediately followed by "Get any good writing done?"
And we lie. We say "Yes," or "A little" just to be pleasant when the truth is that we're more stressed out than when we left.
[insert plug for comments/ fans/ followers here]
Until next time,
-K.
Ps: Yesterdays Writing Results... No new writing, but I did submit "Bombardier" to Fiction Vortex, an online magazine.
... You wanna know about my Holiday? You can't face the truth about my Holiday... ok, T day was awesome... but I only had the 3 closest people to me in the room sitting and enjoying an awesome meal... (I was one of them).
ReplyDeleteBut I'm so anxious about Christmas, it's driving me nuts... You know a bit about the work stuff... but it's withholding my pay and making my time/anticipation go away and that's what I love most about the holidays... the expectations and preparation... I've sat here for 3 hours, unable to sleep, wondering how I'm going to handle 'the office' another week...
*le sigh*
So, you're not alone in that boat... keep the chin up and do what you can.