Writer's moments

Taking a Break

I’ve been working pretty much nonstop for the last three weeks. That’s not a complaint, just a fact. Well, okay, maybe it’s a tiny bit of a whine. Work comes in bunches, so it’s not unusual for me to have no work at all and then suddenly have three projects on my plate. This is one of those times of 12-hour days—I’m locked away in my little garret working on someone else’s writing instead of my own.

However, today, I’m taking a break—not for the whole day, just for lunch. I’m going to meet my crit partner at Panera Bread for some writerly fellowship and good food. I’m totally jacked up about seeing her—she’s the best. Funny and sweet and no matter how often we get together, I invariably learn something new about my craft from her. Our conversations are always first-rate. Did I mention that her contemporary romance, Rules of the Game, released from Carina Press this week? It did. Go check it out, I’ll wait right here…

Ah, back? So where was I? Oh yeah, lunch. Another terrific thing about today is that we’re meeting at Panera Bread. They have a delicious menu and the best part is I can plan my meal ahead of time by going here and picking what I want to eat. When I enter my choices into their Nutrition Calculator, I immediately see the calorie count, fat content, sodium, everything right down to the amount of caffeine in the acai berry tea. It’s a fantastic tool and part of what makes Panera Bread one of my favorite restaurants.

Lunch with Sandy will be the perfect mid-week break. She’s a writing machine and just a couple of hours with her inspires me like a week at a writer’s conference. She builds me up, and although, I try not to let work get in the way of my writing, sometimes it’s inevitable. I have to be okay with that fact. Time management has nothing to do with it, I just need to accept that when the paying work is intense, the writing has to be set aside for a brief time.

One day, maybe I’ll be able to live on just my writing alone, but that time isn’t here yet. The editing gigs are how I support the writing habit, so the synergy is evident if I step back and let myself see times like now through a clearer, more reasonable lens. The life of a freelance editor isn’t always easy and sometimes, it’s downright tough, but I wouldn’t trade the freedom of it for diamonds or gold (even at today’s prices!).

3 Comments

  • robena grant

    Oh, congratulations on the release, Sandy. And Panera, yum, yum. Tomorrow is my day to take my Beta readers to lunch as a thank you for wading through my last manuscript. They’re a great group and we always have fun and lots of good discussion. Can’t wait. : )

  • Sandy James

    You make me blush. I enjoy my time with you just as much! You always help me recharge my batteries and get back to work. After lunch with you, I should be able to finish this book!! 😀