Do you remember having to write about your summer vacations when you went back to school each year? I always wondered if others had spent a summer more exciting than mine, which was mostly about swimming, fishing, boating, and catching frogs. Back when I was a kid, my parents had a cottage (some places call them camps) in the Kawarthas in Ontario. Our place was on Gull River between Norland and Moore’s Falls. I use a very loose interpretation of the setting in my Glass Dolphin series and call it Miakoda Falls.
Fast forward to 2021 and my summer at our place on Lake Superior (many hours north of the Kawarthas). Most people ask if I write a lot while I’m there and I probably should.
I don’t. Because for three months of the year, I take time off. Oh, I still sit on the dock of the bay and make notes. But I’m not sitting at my computer, hour after hour, looking for the perfect word, sentence, paragraph. In other words, I’m on a much-needed vacation.
This past year has been a tough one for me and I’m not talking about COVID (though it has definitely impacted my life as an author and a person just trying to get through). I’ve been Chair of Crime Writers of Canada, a great organization but…a lot of volunteer hours. I’ve released Where There’s A Will in e-book and paperback Nov. 2020, and in audiobook in May 2021. Selected the stories and edited Moonlight & Misadventure: 20 Stories of Mystery & Suspense (June 2021). Started working on not one, but THREE novels. And I had no idea what direction I was going to go. Because (here’s a head’s up), you really need to pick the novel you’re going to take to the dance. Unless you’re Stephen King (and maybe not even then) you have to pick your poison.
So…this summer I dabbled with all three. Wrote notes in pretty notebooks (supplied by my hubby, who loves to supply me with same). And I decided to go with Book 4 in my Marketville series. I love Callie. I have a great premise. And, God willing and the creek don’t rise (hubby likes old westerns and we rely on DVDs in the north) it will be out in Fall 2022.
I’ve released a book a year since 2015. This will be my first year of missing that (beyond the anthology). But you know, I’m okay with that. Because I’ve always believed in quality over quantity. So…if you’ve missed any of my books, please check them out now. And if you haven’t…hey, stick with me…Patience is a virtue. It’s never been one of mine but I’m learning. One word, one book, at a time.
Great self care! Recognizing you needed the break and took it. Sitting by Lake Superior you can’t help but relax and unwind. And when you do that, your little grey cells start working again. Looking forward to Callie’s next adventure.
Thanks Rose! I’m also looking forward to Callie’s next adventure!
Breaks go a long way to charging drained batteries. We all need them. Summers by the water are the best. At least I think so.
I agree, Diane!
Good for you! Travel is out of the question as a vacation thanks to COVID, so sitting on a dock enjoying the break and maybe even contemplating the future of the universe sounds like a good alternative. My own equivalent is ‘working’ on my collection.
The lake is ever changing, John. Nature really is the best screensaver (and mind saver!) Enjoy your collection, which I know is spectacular.
Good that you are taking a break. We need to do that. The past two years have been so challenging for me (for multiple reasons) that after my last book came out, I almost decided that would be my last one. Fortunately, now with a long break I’m feeling better and looking forward to writing another one. But it took a long break to get there.
I’m writing again, Grace, and it’s fun again! Good for you for taking a break and then getting back to writing!
Recently a long-published writer friend said she may not feel like writing, but she does sit down and if two sentences are all she gets, great. I’ve been embracing this idea. I usually sit longer and type more than I expected. I feel better. Not tense. The long hours aren’t in me right now.
I’ve done that, Vicki, but I honestly felt burned out. And if the writing is forced, the reader will feel that. But I’m back to writing and having fun again!
Good for you. Enjoy your time off and I’m sure there will be great stories percolating in your brain while you’re on vacation.
Thanks Carolanne. I’m back to writing again! But it was a good break.