Happy Labor Day! The holiday is supposed to be one of kicking back and relaxing, but I always try to spend at least part of it doing what I love best: writing. For me, it's not work. When I get into a story flow, hours can fly by like minutes. Afterward, I know I've been in The Zone - a sublime place where nothing exists but my characters. I'm in their world, separate from time and space. If I'm very lucky, it's flowing so fast that I'm simply transcribing, fingers scrambling across the keyboard to keep up.
One of my challenges is balance. Sometimes I have to remind myself to step away, even if I've hit that wonderful flow. Without my family, my writing would mean nothing. They've been such a huge support throughout the process, especially my hubby.
This weekend I was lucky enough to have a brief visit with my family back home in New Jersey. I spent Friday night with two dear friends I've known since grade school, whose friendship has also sustained me through many ups and downs. Later, I spent precious time with some of my brothers and sisters on the banks of the Delaware River. The town celebrated the last of summer with its final fireworks display.
My little camera doesn't like night photos much, so these aren't the best quality, but I do kind of like the second one - a reflection of the fireworks in the river, and some of the nearby boats. A moody shot.
On the topic of balance, I've had to decide what to do about TBR. I launched it in January with the aim of hosting other authors, and while it's seen some success, it doesn't seem to be reaching enough readers. I don't have time to properly promote it except through Facebook and hosting blurb fests. Keeping up two blogs has been difficult but I don't want to give up on TBR. I have decided to cut back, though - from three authors a week to two, and no Featured Author of the month. I'll try that schedule for six months, and if my time craziness eases, I may go back to three authors. We'll see how it goes.
To balance it out, I am going to host more authors on my own blog in the future, though. I've missed having guests here! In October (wow, next month already! I have to get busy organizing), I'll have a monthlong Halloween celebration. Any fantasy/paranormal authors who want to join in, just drop me a note! I'd love to have you.
I'm also going to revive the author chat I used to have, with the new name of Spilling the Beans. That will likely start in November, after the Halloween bash. I found these two cute graphics on Dreamstime for event badges.
Hope you're celebrating the holiday with those you love!
One of my challenges is balance. Sometimes I have to remind myself to step away, even if I've hit that wonderful flow. Without my family, my writing would mean nothing. They've been such a huge support throughout the process, especially my hubby.
This weekend I was lucky enough to have a brief visit with my family back home in New Jersey. I spent Friday night with two dear friends I've known since grade school, whose friendship has also sustained me through many ups and downs. Later, I spent precious time with some of my brothers and sisters on the banks of the Delaware River. The town celebrated the last of summer with its final fireworks display.
On the topic of balance, I've had to decide what to do about TBR. I launched it in January with the aim of hosting other authors, and while it's seen some success, it doesn't seem to be reaching enough readers. I don't have time to properly promote it except through Facebook and hosting blurb fests. Keeping up two blogs has been difficult but I don't want to give up on TBR. I have decided to cut back, though - from three authors a week to two, and no Featured Author of the month. I'll try that schedule for six months, and if my time craziness eases, I may go back to three authors. We'll see how it goes.
To balance it out, I am going to host more authors on my own blog in the future, though. I've missed having guests here! In October (wow, next month already! I have to get busy organizing), I'll have a monthlong Halloween celebration. Any fantasy/paranormal authors who want to join in, just drop me a note! I'd love to have you.Hope you're celebrating the holiday with those you love!
