Saturday, July 12, 2008

Update on the Summer Off

July 4th has come and gone, the kids have three weeks of sailing camp under their belts, and my WIP hasn't been opened since mid-May. The summer "off" is going well. However, just because I'm not working on the WIP doesn't mean I'm not writing. As the launch date for "Line of Scrimmage" nears, I'm blogging, promoting, and writing—about a book that's long finished. I'm fortunate to have the luxury to take the break from creating new work and focus on making my debut novel as successful as it can be. I'm working with my agent and editor to determine which of my already-finished books will go next. I think we've got it narrowed down, and I hope to be able to announce that news very soon. After taking some heat about my "backlog" in the past, I'm pleased that it is paying off for me now.

I'll confess that I expected the urge to write to come back before now. I've had a few "tingles," some moments of inspiration, and an idea for a single-title contemporary that I'm excited about. And yet, I have no desire to write it. That tells me this break was needed even more than i thought it was. It's telling me the ideas are still coming and the desire to write them will return at the end of my self-imposed break. In the meantime, I'm reading a lot, doing revisions to the existing MSs and some copy editing for a couple of clients. I'm keeping my hand in the game even as I give myself a much-needed rest from the creative side.

I'm plugged into the metaphorical charger, and the light is blinking, but the charge is not yet complete. I'll keep you posted!