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Friday, August 6, 2010

Not Writing At All

Photo by luzdesigns/stockXchange.com

As I was getting ready for our family vacation, I announced to my kids, "I'm not taking the laptop. I'm unplugging from the Internet for the week."
My eldest daughter looked at me and asked, "So you're not going to write at all?"
Silence.
I had to think about that for a moment.
"Well, I'm not working . . . "
Skepticism shadowed my daughter's eyes.
Was I backtracking?
Not really.
I am a writer, after all.
And, yes, I am on vacation. (I wrote and scheduled this post before I left.)
But I can't shut my writer's brain down completely even when I'm poolside. What if I get an absolutely marvelous must-write-it-down idea for my next story? What if a stunning snippet of dialogue plays out in my head? What if an article idea starts perking while I'm strolling through the surf or floating along the lazy river?
So I compromised.
"Well, I'll probably take along some pen and paper. Just in case I want to scribble down some thoughts. That's not really writing."
My kids smiled at me, as if to say, "We knew you couldn't go cold turkey."
Guilty as charged.
So, yes, I'm on vacation. I'm not writing . . . much.

1 comment:

Patricia said...

Writers write. We just have to. I've never been able to leave the house for the day without taking a notebook/journal just in case, and I'd never trust my memory to not take one on vacation.

I hope you are having a most delightful time in that surf and river and just being with those you love. XOX