Taking a Break

I've decided to take a break from blogging. As you know from my previous post, it's not been a great year and I'm still--yes still--in pain. Every day. Constantly. I need to simplify my life for a while and just chill. 

Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas and a fantastic New Year. May 2025 be awesome and full of creativity!

Cruising Past Insecurities #IWSG

Insecurities have a tendency to crop up and hang around like weeds, breeding more weeds, making writing difficult. The best way to deal with those insecurities is to take a break. Walk away for a short time, remove the pressure, and just live a little.

I recently came back from said break where I went on a cruise to the South Pacific islands. Best break ever!

To avoid rubbing it in (because that would be bad), I'll post two photos that pretty much sum up the bliss. If I were to rub it in, I'd tell you all about the glorious weather we had, the scrumptious food we ate, the many and varied cocktails we drank... so I won't do that. I will tell you that I spent a lot of the time relaxing and reading through the story entries for the IWSG Contest, which are now with the official judges. Wow, there are some remarkable stories. We have a bunch of talented writers in the IWSG. Glad it's not up to me to pick the winners.

Right now I feel so refreshed that there 's no room for insecurities. Thus unto the breach I charge!!

How do you feel after a break? What are some of your favourite break types?

This post was written for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. We post on the first Wednesday of every month. To join us, or learn more about the group, click HERE.

 

The Importance of Taking a Break from Writing

As some of you know, I've been away for the last two weeks. I completely unplugged from the internet and went on a trip to get away from everything. What did I do? I went on a cruise. And wow, what a cruise.

Hubby and I went to the South Pacific Islands and pretty much did nothing the whole time. Having no access to friends and easy information via the net felt strange, but soon we reveled in the joy of sunshine and relaxation.

I had planned to catch up on a mountain of reading and maybe a little writing. Instead I slept. A lot. Sheer bliss. No pressure to think up new stories, fix old ones, achieve, produce, or make and maintain connections. No push. No rush.

Initially that familiar sense of guilt nagged on my thoughts. I should be writing, or in the least, reading! There's ample opportunity. Then I decided to sweep that guilt away. The result? Now that I'm back, I find myself  full of creativity and bursting at the seams with fresh ideas and a renewed passion.

My advice to anyone struggling with a lack-luster creative drive, take that break. Not a partial, semi-break, but a full and proper break where you take away all the pressures and just be wonderful to yourself.

When was the last time you took a proper break? What do you do to be wonderful to yourself?

Top Tip for Pet Photography

Meet Cortana. 

(bonus points for recognising the name without looking it up)

We adopted her in 2002. She distracts me while I write, as all good cats do.

I wish I could take credit for this photo, but hubby took it a couple of weeks ago. She's a tricksy creature to photograph. Every time I point the camera at her, she looks away or runs off.

My top tip for snapping a great shot: Patience!

I'm in the middle of a number of projects at the moment and, along with getting myself caught up with some unavoidable distractions life brings along, I need some time to focus. I'll be back on Wednesday 7th August for the Insecure Writers' Support Group post.

In the meanwhile, happy writing and happy snapping!

Of Strawberry Pots and Breaks

 This is my strawberry pot.

These are my strawberries.

Go figure.

This is a great analogy for my writing life at the moment. I'm still producing strawberries, but not as I'd hoped or planned. If I leave those strawberries growing from a crack, they'll become stunted, miserable things, the fruit not as palatable as it could be.

I need to get those strawberries back in the pot.

Consequently I'll be taking some time off from blogging. I'll definitely be back in full force for the April A-Z Challenge, or I may come back sooner. Those strawberries are tricksy things, so it's hard to say for sure. I hope you'll all forgive my absence. I'll still be around Twitter and Facebook and I'll occasionally pop in to visit.

So tell me, how are your strawberries growing?

Make Believe Giveaways and Christmas Cheer

Today: Over at Burning Impossibly Bright Ambur is interviewing all six authors in the Make Believe anthology. How awesome is that? She is also hosting a fabulous giveaway, so pop on over and check it out.

December 28th: there will be a review of Make Believe at Once Upon a Time, plus a giveaway.

December 31st: Kindle and Me will be hosting a spotlight and review of Make Believe plus there will be another e-book giveaway. Woot!

I will be enjoying the Christmas break with family and friends and will return in the new year.

Please have a peaceful Christmas 

and a safe and happy New Year.

Blogging Break

I'll be taking a mini blogging break. I'll be back on 1st November.

In the meantime, please enjoy this picture I took of a dandilion, a little ray of sunshine:

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Announcements, Thoughts, IWSG and break

Happy, happy news! I'm off on a short cruise to the Isle of Pines and Noumea. I haven't taken a holiday (vacation) in six years so I'm looking forward to this one. I'll be back here on the 14th May with an exciting announcement (chocolate cake at the ready).

Here are some other announcements, most I would've otherwise missed by sailing away:

Clarissa Draper has released her debut novel, The Sholes Key. It’s a mystery and I’m looking forward to reading it.

M. Pax will be releasing her science fiction, The Backworlds on 7th May

Laura Pauling will also be celebrating the release of her debut novel, A Spy Like Me, from 7th May

An official thank you to J.C. Martin for the Oracle Swag Bag I won. Her book will be released in July. In the meantime, if you like scary stories, read her short story, The Doll. It's wonderful. I loved it.

Meredith Houston will be releasing her novel, Colors like Memories, on 11th May

And lastly, a big thank you to Angela and Becca for their inspirational site, The Bookshelf Muse. You both have created a fantastic resource for writers everywhere. Their book, The Emotion Thesaurus, will be available on 14th May.

Thoughts on the A-Z Challenge:
The A-Z Challenge was about posting thematically from A-Z every day except Sundays during the month of April. This was the second year I took part in the challenge. Last year I wrote micro posts with writing tips. This year I broke from my usual theme and shared some of my photography. I found it a lot easier and it was like a mini break for me. Also, I think my regular readers got to know me better in this last month than they have in the—almost—2 years I've been blogging. Another bonus is that I've met some brilliant new friends and they pushed me over 1000 followers. Wow! Thank you so much to all my new and old followers! What I found hardest about the challenge was keeping up with the comments every single day. My writing time took a huge dent. I ended up sacrificing reading (bad) and TV time (not so bad) because I had a few tight deadlines I needed to meet in April. Would I do it again? I'll let you know next year once I've recovered.

Insecure Writers' Support Group:
Normally I'd have a piece of encouragement for the group—keep trying, keep writing, and enjoy what you do—but today I'll ask a question: How do YOU decide whether or not to go traditional, small press, or self-publishing?

How to Balance Your Social Networking Time

In my previous post I explained how social media is a great investment of our time, but it can begin to drain too much of that time. This post will offer ways you can balance social media so that it doesn't become a demand on your time.

Assess your current time usage. This means being honest with how much time you spend on social media sites in all their flavours. You might be surprised by how high that number is, especially if you dip your toes in at regular intervals during the day.

Note: a part of this assessment should include some honesty behind why you are currently using it. For example, many of us use it as a distraction from other priorities.

Assess what you want from social media. There are many reasons to hang out on social networking sites: to sell a product, to be a part of a supportive community, to build a platform, to connect with friends, to keep in touch with an industry of choice, to learn new information, to be seen, to be distracted, to share…and the list goes on.

Assess your priorities. Now that you know what you want, you need to work out your priorities. This includes the priority of each 'want' if you have more than one, as well as your priorities outside social networking.

Assess your needed time usage. Based on what you want from social media and other priorities, you should be able to work out how much time you'll need to gain the most out of all of them. For example, if it's about platform building, then a writer who hasn't finished their first manuscript doesn't need to spend as much time networking as an author who is about to release their book. The amount will also vary depending on the type of social media. Some, like blogging, require more time than others.

Schedule your time. If you don't like schedules, then place a maximum time limit on your browsing, commenting, tweeting etc. These are the best way to keep an eye on your time if you stick to them.

Take a break. Breaks hold off burn-out. They keep us sane and they can refresh our spirit. Know that you won't fall off the grid if you disappear for a week or even two. Note: Rather than just disappearing, it's crucial to inform your readers/followers of your plan and let them know when they can expect you back.

Be flexible. Demands on your time will fluctuate and needs will vary. It's important to stay flexible and adjust to these changes.

This post turned out longer than I'd expected so next week I'll share specific tips on the things you can do to cut back. 

What do you want from social media?

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Thank you to Amy at The Literary Mom for the Sunshine Award. Thank you also to Susan Fields for the Great Comments Award. Please pop on by their blogs to say hi from me.

Christmas Break Time

With not many sleeps until Christmas, I will be taking a blogging break so I can catch up with friends and family, refresh, eat and relax. I'll be back early January. In the meantime, please have a wonderful and joyous Christmas and a happy and safe New Year.

Lyn

Happy Halloween

This is just a short, prescheduled post to say 

Happy Halloween
Everyone!

I won't be around today because Jury Duty finally caught up with me and I have to head into the Supreme Court to find out whether or not they want me for a trial. I've been on call for the last three weeks with last minute calls to say they didn't need me. It's been difficult to plan anything. I have no idea how long I'll be gone for if I am picked.

UPDATE: I was dismissed from Jury duty. Probably a good thing since it was a murder trial with some grisly details. Ew. I now have time to take part in NaNoWriMo (50k words in 30 days)

Happy News: On Wednesday I will be rolling out the red carpet for Alex J. Cavanaugh. He will be doing a guest post here to coincide with the Insecure Writers' Group. Be sure to pop in and give him your support. Also, if you have signed up for the group, don't forget to write up your own Insecure Writers' Group post this Wednesday.

Style vs Formula

Often the 'rules' of writing a good book can cause a writer to fall into the dreaded realm of formula. Let's all shudder together. *Urgh!*

You know the rules I'm talking about: Start the book with a hook, make your characters likeable, cut back the walls of descriptions, don't load down the story with backstory dumps, show don't tell. And so forth.

All these rules can be crippling. Yes, there are things that work best in a novel, but should we always stick to the rules because we're afraid to veer off the righteous path of thou shalt nots? Should we quash our writing style in the quest for publication?

There's a lot of pressure on new writers to catch the eye of agents and publishers. If we can't follow the rules then how will our books be any good? The rules are there for a reason--because they work.

And yet I think the best writers break the rules--but I will add they do it with caution. They find a way that works for their stories. They hold onto their personal style and create the story only they can write. These are the writers that stand out. For example, China Miéville writes copious amounts of meandering description and yet his work is a delight to read. Suzanne Collins wrote wads of backstory and yet it worked in the Hunger Games.

I'm not suggesting to ignore the rules. I am saying be true to yourself and your stories. Writing is an art. And the best art requires bravery, honesty, and hard work.

Do you agree? Can you think of other favourite novels that broke the rules?

Note: On Monday I have to head to the Supreme Court for jury duty. I'm told if I'm picked it could take up to three weeks. I won't have time to post during that time, but I'll try and pop around the blogsphere a little.

Call for help: I'm looking for some critiques for a science fiction short story I've written. It would be best if you like and understand the genre. I'm happy to return the favour in any genre for the equal number of words (3300). If you are interested please send me an email or leave a comment. A huge thanks in advance.  
 
M Pax of Wistful Nebulae has released her debut novella, Semper Audacia, this week, available from Amazon or Smashswords. Check it out.

Thank you to The Writing Nut for the Seriously Cute Blogger Award. It's not one I've received before. It's much appreciated.

T is for a Terrific Easter

Wishing everyone a Terrific and safe Easter.

With the Easter long weekend here, I don't have as much time for comments or blog visits. I will visit everyone's blog, but it might take me some extra time.

In the meantime, happy writing, don't eat too much chocolate, and God bless.

Note: This post is part of the A-Z Challenge. To learn more about the challenge click the image on my sidebar.

Update: The finalists have been announced for the Best Australian Blogs Award 2011. If you're curious, the finalists are listed here. I’m still part of the People’s Choice Award. If you haven’t already, please vote for my blog here. It is listed under W.I.P It: A Writer’s Journey -- Lynda Young.

Of Mice and Men

I had a glorious plan to post today. I even have a rough draft for the post but I don't have the time to polish or tweak. I'm exhausted after Christmas with all the travelling and all the eating. So worth it, though.

I hope everyone had as wonderful a Christmas as I did. And I hope everyone will have a brilliant New Year.

See you in the New Year

Hugs,
Lyn

I'll be back

Quite sick at the moment (just a bad case of flu that won't go away) but I won't be able to post anything coherent for a couple days. I'll be back as soon as I can.

7 Ways to Avoid Burn Out

Many of us experience burnout when we pour everything we have into our writing. We spend hours a day, everyday, on our works in progress, on our blog posts, on our comments, on Facebook, on Twitter, all in the name of our writing career.

It can often be an uphill battle. We may not be getting the feedback we want. We may be losing too many hours of the day and our houses are turning into breeding grounds for dust bunnies. We may be beginning to listen again to that voice of doubt that niggles in the background of our minds.

These are sure signs of burn out, so how do we avoid this?

1. Take a break. You don’t have to spend thousands on a trip to a tropical island, but a break – any break – will do you wonders. I try to take a blogging break every weekend. I’m currently taking a break from my WIP before I start to edit. Sometimes I need to take a week off from everything. We are allowed.

2. Be kind to yourself. Remember you aren’t a superhero. You aren’t impervious to criticism, you aren’t immune to the pressures of deadlines, but you can learn to deal with these things by being kind to yourself. Pamper yourself with not only the occasional indulgences (chocolate is my favourite indulgence), but pamper yourself with kind thoughts as well. Tell yourself you will reach your goals.

3. Exercise. Blow away the cobwebs of the mind, step away from the keyboard or pen and breathe in some fresh air. Get the heart pumping.

4. Visit friends. I don’t know about you, but I tend to immerse myself in my work and forget the importance of friendship, relaxation and a great girly chat over lunch. (For the guys who read this blog change ‘girly chat’ with manly beer and grunts over lunch).

5. Reschedule. If you are burning out then it may be time to reassess how much time you have devoted to your career. Because our jobs aren’t the typical eight hour day it’s harder to regulate so we need to stay on top of it. You may need to cut back for a while.

6. Prioritise. This is one of my favourites. When drawing close to a deadline our writing becomes more important so we will have to cut back on other things such as social media until that deadline is met. But know there is an end in sight and make it as easy as possible for yourself.

7. Remember the highs. It’s good to remember why you love to write and why you put yourself under so much pressure. Remembering will help to sustain you.

Have you experienced burn out? What are some things you do to avoid burn out?

Celebrations and Breaks

At last I’ve finished my first draft. I’m so excited and I wanted to share the good news with my blogging friends. Can you hear the celebrations?

I feel it has taken me too long: 3 months to write 89k words (If they were polished words I’d be stoked – Aussie slang for ‘more than thrilled’). But I slowed down three quarters of the way through and allowed doubts to get to me.

My plan now is to take 2 weeks off from the book before I start editing. This will give me the much needed distance to do the chop. I might write some short stories that have been whispering to me for a long time. Or I might draft up some ideas for another book. After that, I’ll begin the tortuous editing stage. I plan to rip my WIP apart and piece it back together again. I may need a mountain of dark chocolate for this stage.

How important are breaks for you as a writer? What are some things you do to take a break from your current projects? How often do you take a break?

*photo: Hong Kong Disneyland

One Week Break

Just letting you all know that this weekend is the Queen's Birthday long weekend here in Australia. I get to spend some extra time with my husband and I'm looking forward to it.

I will also be taking this week off from blogging to have a rest and a refresh. I'll be back on Monday 21st June.

Happy writing to you all,

Lyn