Recharge

I realized last week that I hadn't posted on Monday, then I looked back at my stats and I haven't posted since the 8th!

I have a good idea what happened--in November I set up automatic posts through December so I wouldn't have to worry about it, and then just popped in to approve comments. So I got out of the habit.

Last week I realized my writing was going flat and I wasn't enjoying it--I counted back and it's been more than a year since I allowed myself to really re-charge. So I stopped writing, refused to let myself do anything related to it (except the editing and evaluations I get paid for). I read a lot, watched movies, played with my other projects (it looks like my citrus grafts may have taken) and waited for the soil in my garden to warm up.

Wednesday I started writing again, and it feels good. I'm easing into it just in case I have a rebound, in which case I'll give myself another week. So I've been working on some of my old stories, filling in the gaps that were left when I did the first draft and doing minor editing.

I did 2000 words Wednesday and Thursday, just on those sections, and for the moment that's enough.

For me, recharge time is an absolute necessity. When I'm writing nothing else gets through, my focus is entirely on my writing, so without a recharge period I slowly wear down. If I let it go too long, my writing becomes flat and lifeless. When I start wandering away and not wanting to go back to my computer, recharge period is overdue!