A Reflection on Rest

The brief, but much-needed, mental hiatus is over. After working non-stop on a 360-page book over the past four weeks, I felt drained and exhausted, but I needed to work through it so that I could begin my next book with all due attention required. I literally crawled into bed after writing my last post and slept all afternoon. I was tired, and all of the late nights and early mornings had dragged me down.

This weekend, I did little thinking which is unusual for me, but I needed to give that muscle in my skull a little break. I mostly hung around the house and kept a low profile, but I did have time to spend with Sherry and the kids. In fact, I enjoyed taking Ian to the bookstore on Saturday afternoon just to watch him pick out books. There's a sense of pride in watching your four-year-old out-read kids twice his age, and I enjoyed talking to him about books he was reviewing for consideration.

Sherry and I also watched a movie together which we hadn't done in a long time. It was a very good movie, and we enjoyed just spending some cuddle-time in front of a roaring fire in the dark. Every married couple needs these times together, and I will make it a point to do that more often. On Saturday, she had to go to her parent's house to stay with her grandfather while her parents were visiting my family in North Carolina, so Ian and I spent one night as bachelors. That was a lot of fun too, and I "dumbed out" by watching some movies with him. He and I also worked on his piano lessons a lot during that time, and that was enjoyable.

Taking the short break made me realize how important my family is to me, and I understand how much I work during the day and night when I'm engrossed in a book that I'm writing. You can't see those things when you're in the middle of them, but when you step back, it's easy to see. I'm so grateful that I'm able to work from home, and I see my family more during the day than most fathers and husbands do, but when work is at home, it's easy to get sucked back in at any time, so there are the advantages and disadvantages of this scenario. The important thing, I have realized, is when I do have a chance to back off, I need to take that opportunity. That piece of advice came from my father and Sherry, and it's good advice.

In the heat of working on this last book, I also became confused as to my goals as a writer beyond ghostwriting. With work under my own name, I tend to want to write for profit first, but taking the break made me realize that I have to write from the heart first, and that is where success will come. That was a nice reminder, especially during a time when I turned the old brain off. It's been said many times that "if you write to sell books, you won't sell books." That's very true. Art must come from the heart. That's where the inspiration lies, and that's where the true depth appears. So, there you have it -- my direction was focused through this break as well.

Anyway, those are my notes following the break. There's just not a lot to say because I've kept my attention focused away from thinking too much. But, now that I'm rested, I've turned the brain back on, and now it's time to start writing my next book. Other opportunities are arising every day, and I'm just going to keep in mind the need for a short mental break between them. Not only is it refreshing, it's necessary. And through each project, I strive to make the process easier each time so I don't lose the balance that is necessary for happiness.