I’ve had two weeks off!! Two whole weeks!
Sounds like bliss doesn’t it? And- it was. I had my first full fourteen days off since I started to write 9 years ago this Christmas. It was wonderful to have my little computer stashed away over the festive season and New Year, and to do what I’ve been promising my long suffering, and incredibly patient, family for years- leave my pen and pencil alone.
However, as any writer will tell you, leaving your stories behind for a while isn’t that straight forward. The fingers might not be hovering over the keyboard, the hand might not be gripping the pen, but turning off the imagination is a tougher proposition altogether!
Before the turkey had turned cold my head was at saturation point with new ideas dancing around my brain. I’ve lost count of the nights I have managed to sleep this Christmas without waking up with an idea nagging at my head to be scribbled down.
By Day 6 my fingers were actually itching for movement and the familiar hold of my pen, and I could feel my usual calm temper cracking. I felt a bit like a recently quitted smoker who yearns to hold a cigarette even if they don’t intend to smoke it!
On Day 7 I took action- away I went to the wool shop and bought some wool. I’ve never knitted so fast in my life! Every time I felt the urge to write I knitted a line of something- not sure what- probably a very long wide scarf- possibly a blanket…I’ll see how it looks when the wool runs out…
By Day 12 I was sneaking ideas down in a notebook when no one was looking. By Day 13 I found I’d accidentally written the chapter plan for a novel I won’t have time to write until the end of the year at the earliest!
But thankfully- for the sake of my sanity and my families- today is Day 14- and my beautiful children are back off to school tomorrow. You probably think I’ll be cheering them off as they disappear with their bags and their lunch boxes, but I’ll really miss them. They however have decided that Mum is a lot nicer to have around if she has a pen in her hand!
Next Christmas I am definitely not going cold turkey writing wise- I think a week of slowly writing less and less each day until I take just one week off would be much more sensible!! It’s either that, or I break the world scarf knitting record!!
Coffee time I think- and on with my latest novel…
Happy Reading Everyone,
Jenny xx