"WRITER'S VACATION!"
As my family and I have our annual vacation rapidly approaching, I find myself once again pondering the value of such a time. Perhaps it is because – in the busy day in which we live – one can often be made to feel guilty for not being productive!
The word vacation is a late Middle English word, taken either from Old French, or the Latin ‘vacare’ which literally means “to be unoccupied” (how many of us pack our vacation times with activity?).
I think times like this are absolutely essential for a writer. Monk and theologian Saint John Cassian tells a famous story about John the Apostle. According to the story, the aged Apostle was found to be playing with a tame partridge one day. A narrower and more rigid brother rebuked him for wasting time, to which John replied: “The bow that is always bent will soon cease to shoot straight.” I don’t know if the story is true, or not, but I have certainly found this principle to be accurate in my own life. If I do not allow myself time to rest, refresh, and unwind, my creativity will begin to wane.
When I was a busy musician, I remember being in the recording studio late into the night: listening to songs, mixing, re-recording, mixing again. You reach a point where you develop what they call “tired ears.” You start to lose your objectivity. You’re no longer able to accurately register what you’re working on through a creative filter. What’s the best thing to do? Go home, get some sleep, and come back the next day to listen with “fresh ears.” I can’t TELL you the number of times a song sounded TOTALLY DIFFERENT in the morning. Not because anything in the mix actually changed, but my EARS had! A break was taken and some creative objectivity was regained.
I believe this same principle is true in writing. If you’re a writer, take breaks. Don’t feel guilty about it. Take long ones, short ones, skinny ones, fat ones, whatever you need! Don’t misunderstand; it’s true that times of continuing to “hammer-away” at something is exactly what is needed. Still - in other instances - I believe the pen (or computer, as it were) might need to be laid aside for a while. Just walk away; go do something else; relax the bow. When you come back, your aim will be much straighter in hitting your target! Personally... I'm looking forward to it!
Happy writing! ~ Kevin
Check out Kevin's latest book "UnAlive," available for only $.99c on Amazon until the end of the month!
The word vacation is a late Middle English word, taken either from Old French, or the Latin ‘vacare’ which literally means “to be unoccupied” (how many of us pack our vacation times with activity?).
I think times like this are absolutely essential for a writer. Monk and theologian Saint John Cassian tells a famous story about John the Apostle. According to the story, the aged Apostle was found to be playing with a tame partridge one day. A narrower and more rigid brother rebuked him for wasting time, to which John replied: “The bow that is always bent will soon cease to shoot straight.” I don’t know if the story is true, or not, but I have certainly found this principle to be accurate in my own life. If I do not allow myself time to rest, refresh, and unwind, my creativity will begin to wane.
When I was a busy musician, I remember being in the recording studio late into the night: listening to songs, mixing, re-recording, mixing again. You reach a point where you develop what they call “tired ears.” You start to lose your objectivity. You’re no longer able to accurately register what you’re working on through a creative filter. What’s the best thing to do? Go home, get some sleep, and come back the next day to listen with “fresh ears.” I can’t TELL you the number of times a song sounded TOTALLY DIFFERENT in the morning. Not because anything in the mix actually changed, but my EARS had! A break was taken and some creative objectivity was regained.
I believe this same principle is true in writing. If you’re a writer, take breaks. Don’t feel guilty about it. Take long ones, short ones, skinny ones, fat ones, whatever you need! Don’t misunderstand; it’s true that times of continuing to “hammer-away” at something is exactly what is needed. Still - in other instances - I believe the pen (or computer, as it were) might need to be laid aside for a while. Just walk away; go do something else; relax the bow. When you come back, your aim will be much straighter in hitting your target! Personally... I'm looking forward to it!
Happy writing! ~ Kevin
Check out Kevin's latest book "UnAlive," available for only $.99c on Amazon until the end of the month!
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