After working 2 hospitals daily for the past 15 days, I finally have a day off.

I actually slept in till 8! I felt so decadent. But now I’m trying to decide what to do with my day off. Of course, there are bills to pay, work-related paper work, etc, and tax prep, but I can’t get myself geared up for any of those. Not today. The Spring weather in Houston is wonderful and I’m thinking about treating myself to a jog in the park…. We’ll see how far I get.

As other have mentioned, jogging or walking helps the creative process. I contemplate my current works in progress as I go along, sometimes stopping to record a note on my phone.  I find this sort of activity very helpful when I’m frustrated, or lost in a particular scene or plot element. I even debate with my self, sometimes out loud, while I’m going along the jogging trail. I’m sure others around me think I’m an escaped patient from one of the psychiatric hospitals I work in.

But what I really want to do is write. I’m so very close to finishing my latest epic fantasy novel. I’ve been putting it off and working on other projects. I had to consider why I just didn’t go ahead and finish the one that’s closest to completion? There’s really only a few chapters to go. Why haven’t I finished it?

Fear perhaps?

Once it’s done, it’s done. Of course, I can always go back and change things. That’s what editing is for. But you only finish the first draft once. It’s like saying goodbye to a friend you shared a great adventure with and will never see again. I’m reluctant to say good bye.

Of course, It won’t really be good bye. I’ll be working on editing the manuscript. But that’s very different than creating it fresh, from the imagination. I enjoyed that process. Perhaps too much. I think I’ll need to edit out nearly 60K words.

More on editing in another post.

I also have to read and critique some projects given to me by other writers. I feel honored to do it and take this very seriously.

Then I want to read. It’s been ages since I had the opportunity to just sit down with a new book and get lost in it. Doesn’t that sound wonderful? They say writers need to read. I am in complete agreement. I read outside of my genre on occasion, to gain a different perspective on style, pacing, descriptions and structure.

I encourage you to take a chance and do the same every once in a while.

So much to do and so very little time to do it…. Does this sound familiar?

So here’s my plan for the day. Stop blogging, stop going on Twitter and Facebook, focus on my project that is closest to completion. Then maybe I’ll reward myself with a new book to read!

My current work in progress has a working title of Enclave. This is an epic fantasy adventure. I’m trying to decide if it is YA or not. I have a feeling it might be. I’ll post more about Enclave shortly.