It's amazing how the recovery of the mind mimics the body. The healing of stress is much like the way our body recovers from physical illness or injury - you need time to rest and recover. What's been amazing to me is what I've drifted to for this relaxation from the stress that's surrounded me in the past few months both personally and professionally. One is something that I tell people not to do if they want to be productive; and the other is a throwback to my earlier days.
First, I've been watching TV. Perhaps too much, and a little bit of everything, from old retro shows on the Antenna TV stations to movies on the HBO app. I know, I lament this is our biggest and most terrible time waster, and yet I've probably logged in more hours behind the tube over the past week than I did in the previous three months. Then again, I did just write a novel and do revisions/edits on three other novels, and my muse has pretty much left the building. I guess he needs a break, too. And it has been nice to catch up on watching a few things that I said I'd like to watch, but didn't have time to do before now. I guess the point here is that there's a time for everything, and we all need a break. TV isn't bad, as long as you know where it fits. Binge watching anything when I was trying to write The Tenth Dimension would not have been the better part of self discipline, but now that it's written and I'm in a break - that's what balance is about. And I never said TV itself is bad; just that it needs to be kept in balance around other things we want and need to accomplish.
The other thing has been a bit more surprising. I've been reading, yes, but it's what I've been reading that surprised me. I've been pulling out my old Christopher Pike murder mysteries that I read as a teen. It's turned into a bit of a "holy grail" project, because I discovered that my paperback copy of my favorite of his books, Die Softly, is falling apart. Sadly, his older books aren't available in ebook format, and I couldn't find a copy at either of our secondhand bookstores or our one and only new bookstore near here (Books-A-Million). I wasn't about to drive all the way across town to check Barnes & Noble, so I ordered another copy on Amazon through a third party vendor yesterday. Why did I go to all of this trouble to get a new copy of a book that's over 30 years old? I have no idea. The tech in the book is antiquated, but it was my favorite book as a teen, and for some reason, it was important for me to replace that book. So it's done, and I should receive it sometime in early August.
It's amazing what you turn to for relaxation. I just hope that I do get back to writing soon. I realize I need this rest, but I would like to get into short stories here soon, and hope that my muse gets back from whereever he is soon. It always happens - I take a writing break and am ok for about a week, and then I start to get antsy. That's being a writer for you.
That's all today. Take care and have a wonderful weekend.
Bye!
First, I've been watching TV. Perhaps too much, and a little bit of everything, from old retro shows on the Antenna TV stations to movies on the HBO app. I know, I lament this is our biggest and most terrible time waster, and yet I've probably logged in more hours behind the tube over the past week than I did in the previous three months. Then again, I did just write a novel and do revisions/edits on three other novels, and my muse has pretty much left the building. I guess he needs a break, too. And it has been nice to catch up on watching a few things that I said I'd like to watch, but didn't have time to do before now. I guess the point here is that there's a time for everything, and we all need a break. TV isn't bad, as long as you know where it fits. Binge watching anything when I was trying to write The Tenth Dimension would not have been the better part of self discipline, but now that it's written and I'm in a break - that's what balance is about. And I never said TV itself is bad; just that it needs to be kept in balance around other things we want and need to accomplish.
The other thing has been a bit more surprising. I've been reading, yes, but it's what I've been reading that surprised me. I've been pulling out my old Christopher Pike murder mysteries that I read as a teen. It's turned into a bit of a "holy grail" project, because I discovered that my paperback copy of my favorite of his books, Die Softly, is falling apart. Sadly, his older books aren't available in ebook format, and I couldn't find a copy at either of our secondhand bookstores or our one and only new bookstore near here (Books-A-Million). I wasn't about to drive all the way across town to check Barnes & Noble, so I ordered another copy on Amazon through a third party vendor yesterday. Why did I go to all of this trouble to get a new copy of a book that's over 30 years old? I have no idea. The tech in the book is antiquated, but it was my favorite book as a teen, and for some reason, it was important for me to replace that book. So it's done, and I should receive it sometime in early August.
It's amazing what you turn to for relaxation. I just hope that I do get back to writing soon. I realize I need this rest, but I would like to get into short stories here soon, and hope that my muse gets back from whereever he is soon. It always happens - I take a writing break and am ok for about a week, and then I start to get antsy. That's being a writer for you.
That's all today. Take care and have a wonderful weekend.
Bye!
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