A week ago today, I turned in my manuscript to my editor. Whew! It feels so good to meet a deadline and complete a project I’ve been working on for months! (That book, Reason to Breathe, will be in bookstores this fall!)
I always try to take at least a week (and sometimes several weeks) off after I’ve finished a book. Of course, I can’t just completely stop working for that long. There are always e-mails to answer, interviews to do, blog posts to write, a website to update, conference classes to teach, and all the other tasks that are part of being a writer.
But taking a break from active fiction writing and refilling my tank (emotionally, physically, experientially, and spiritually) is essential to continuing to do what I do.
So what does a writer do on her “vacation” from work? Here are just a few of the things I’ve enjoyed on my time off:
We’ve had a very late spring this year, but finally, it’s warming up enough that we could make a little road trip to our old hometown and the great flat sale of our favorite nursery there.
Each year we learn a little more about flowers and how to plant and take care of them. Lesson #1: Don’t let your eyes be bigger than your pots! 🙂 Though those pots look sparse for a couple of weeks, it doesn’t take long before they fill in beautifully. In fact, sometimes we even have to thin them out within the first month. I love Kansas’s long growing/blooming season. We enjoy our flowers from early- to mid-April until November (and even later some years).
My houseplants are getting some extra attention during my time off too. And this orchid has rewarded me beautifully by reblooming on two stems!
My sisters and I made good on our Christmas present to our dad and cleaned his house from top to bottom. Amazing how much fun it can be when you have help and you’re doing it for someone you love. As my mom (and her mom) always used to say, “Many hands make light work.”
One of the main things I plan to do during my time off is READ! I love that my favorite leisure activity also happens to be something I need to do as a writer! I’m currently enjoying Francine Rivers’s newest novel, The Masterpiece.
This cozy chair by the fireplace is where you’ll find me for a good number of hours the next few weeks.
I just might even take a few minutes…or hours…to do some coloring in this brand new color book I got for $1 at a garage sale.
“What are your favorite things to do when you have time off from your regular workweek?”
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I’m retired from a computer programming careeer. So my work week is filled with time off. I spend most of my time reading and do some quilting when I feel up to it.
At this point I’m not sure I ever want to retire. I do love my job. But I can definitely see a day I might slow down a bit and then LOTS of reading is on the list. Along with traveling more and spending more time with our grandkids.
Of course, I love reading 🙂
And then I absolutely like painting and sewing in my free time.
But the weather is so perfect in last three weeks, that I can´ t be at home in these beautiful days and read , I must go out and see blooming nature.. so I read at night and I start to be really tired 🙂
And father also recommended me to watch two movies :
The Revenant – with Leonardo DiCaprio ( How beautiful landscape and strong story! )and The Tree of Life – ( How touching ballad of human life! )
I don´ t watch films often, but sometimes I like to do agreeable exceptions…
Oh, there is always something to do 🙂
I agree, Blanka. If it’s nice outside, that’s where I want to be. Of course, I COULD be happy outside with a good book! 🙂
Reading, cooking, and working jigsaw puzzles are my favorite activities when I have extra time. I think you’re wise to recharge after an intense period of work. It’s insurance against burning out!
I don’t cook much at all now that our kids are grown. For one thing, Ken and I eat so differently! He’s strictly a meat-and-potatoes guy, and I love vegetables and fruits. About the only place our diets converge is DESSERT! And I do enjoy baking. But we both have to watch our weight too, so it’s a dilemma! 🙁
I’m retired also, but still need to find time to do my fun things – reading, cross-stitch, gardening, have gotten into coloring also, and I really want to get back to scrapbooking.
Enjoy your well-earned vacation. I always love the peeks at your home – you have such wonderful decorating ideas and talent. Thanks for sharing your pictures.
Thanks so much, Betty! And thank you for the encouraging words!
You’re going to love Things I Never Told You! I guzzled an early copy of it in only three days, which is awesome with my crazy-busy work schedule. Happy reading!
When I have a break from work, I love watching sports while writing a fiction book. Since I’m not yet published, writing doesn’t yet feel like work to me, though I try to treat it as such and get my hours in every week, as my paying jobs allow. I also love catching up on watching movies that I’ve purchased for my “vacation” time.
Blessings,
Andrea
writingtoinspire.blogspot.com
I can’t wait to read Beth’s book! It looks SO good! AND, my new series is about sisters, so I’m eager to see how Beth handles that dynamic! I grew up with three sisters (our poor, lone brother!). Our middle sister is in heaven, killed in a car accident a 21 and a newlywed of 3 months. 🙁 But my sisters have always been my best friends and still are to this day!
Ah, Deb, I’m so sorry about your middle sister’s death at such a precious time in her life. We never know how many days God has granted us, do we? I pray the rest of you siblings cherish memories of her and enjoy each other while you have the opportunity. Best wishes for your new series! What’s the first book in it? I should check it out, as I also have a sister (the only sibling I have). God bless!
Thank you, Andrea. It’s one silver lining (of many) in the hard thing of my sister’s death: we do cherish each other all the more because we know life in this fallen world has no guarantees.
The first book in the Chandler Sisters Novels series is Reason to Breathe. You can even pre-order here: https://www.amazon.com/Reason-Breathe-Chandler-Sisters-Novel/dp/1683700619/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1524531245&sr=8-1&keywords=Raney+reason+to+breathe&dpID=51bLx6TlIwL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch And thanks for asking! 🙂
Deb, I’m happy for you and your living siblings. It’s not easy to see silver linings in such a hard thing, but it sounds like y’all have done that beautifully over the years. Hugs!
I’ll be watching for more details about your book. That will give me time to save up too. Thanks for sharing about it!
Definitely reading and writing are my favorite activities. Now, we live near our 9 months old grandson and sharing time with him and his Mommy and Daddy are wonderful blessings.
THAT’S exactly what I’d be doing if we lived closer, Melissa! I’m grateful for the extended time we do get 2-3 times a year, but oh, how I wish ours lived closer!
Your orchid looks much like mine does right now – 2 stems blooming and to be honest, I haven’t done anything to it since it’s first bloom 2 years ago. Aren’t they amazing plants? Enjoy you “R & R” time and the beginning of Spring!
I’m always in awe when my orchids rebloom! They are my second favorite flower (peonies take the #1 spot!) and I’d have a dozen of them if our budget (and my husband) would let me! 🙂