Taking a Break...

Yesterday I started writing again. Since finishing my first book over a year ago, I have continued to wake up with w​ords to write — but recently have ignored those urges because of all the daily commitments that were required for promotion and events. I was starting to believe that maybe I would have to discontinue promoting my first book if I wanted to work on my second.  This week I have taken myself physically away from my home office and am spending time living in our families’ trailer that is currently sitting in the middle of a friend’s farm yard. For the  first twenty-four hours it felt like I was coming off a medicated addiction.  I didn’t know what to do without multiple devices and screens in front of me. I couldn’t focus for any great length of time. The silence was too silent and I was flittering from one activity to another.  Yesterday afternoon  after reading  pieces of writing that I had been working on months before I began to write. It was like trying to start a vehicle that hasn’t been running for a long time. I choked with my ideas, I coughed out the words — but soon the words started flowing and I was picking up speed. I didn’t write for a long time but I did write.  This has been a good lesson to learn.  I have always liked to write even when my writing was just for me.  I know I have obligations as an author of a new book and need to continue promoting that book.   I also feel though that  I have an obligation to continue working on improving my craft. I just need  to figure out how to balance the two.