Once in a while, I have to get away. No, it isn’t the endless travel or conferences, but to get away from the hustle and bustle. Modern life is just too darned fast, and sometimes and I feel like I’m stuck in second gear, unable to shift. When I get like that, it’s often time for me to do something a little different. Sometimes I change where I write, like going to the coffee shop, the park and when it’s bad enough… I know it’s time to unplug.
This year, we headed up north to the family compound (I call it the bugout), where I parked War Wagon and plugged in and got things set up. My wife and two spawn of … err… well, mine (Can’t blame the Devil)… Were there, shortly afterwords, only a couple hours behind. Oh boy, was I excited. I set up the canopy once the inside was set, and then put up my outdoor table and set up the outdoor kitchen. In a true badassed, unplugged, style of life, I then set up my electronics. ::snickers:: Yes, I brought up a TV, a game system and on top of a couple different kindle readers, a ton of card and board games. See, upstate, the weather is quite cooler. Our average high temp for the day up there was in the 70’s. The day I got back to the Flint area, it was in the high 80’s.
So… Much like I wrote about in One Man’s Opus, I sleep like crap. I wake up at 4:00 ish and quite often, I’d sneak out of bed and get my laptop out to write. There were days this varied, depending on when I went to bed, but I’d often just sit in front of the fire, wearing a sweater and sweat pants over my shorts and watch the sun come up as I typed away. The days it rained, I squeezed into the little fold up table all motorhomes seem to have. (Side note: Don’t they make those tables for big guys?) While I was gone, I got a ton done, yet I avoided burnout. I hadn’t fully unplugged and gone all Rambo, but I unplugged from the fast pace, the hustle and bustle. I was surrounded by family and always a phone call away.
I think there was probably a few games of Uno, Phase 10, and War played, and for a while, my kiddos had cousins up to play with too! Sadly though, it was time to come back. I always worried that once I came back would I lose the magic? I know that answer is NO! Still, I think it’s part of me that always doubts myself. I needed the break, a true change of scenery. I got it in, and I avoided burnout. I feel refreshed, in my little shriveled, introverted soul. This year was a lot of firsts for me, so getting away was what I needed to recharge my batteries.
Soon, I’ll have a modern Western/Romance title coming, I finished an Urban Fantasy story (A prepper mage who can see the future), and am working on a sequel to One Man’s Opus, which might include some of my real life, spring adventures while road tripping across the country… And how I got my very first speeding ticket. Now that I’m recharged, expect a flurry of books!
-Boyd
3.5