Summer Breaks For Writers!

Putting the brakes on your writing.

With our kids off from school for the summer, our thoughts have turned to getting away from it all for the day, for an extended weekend or even longer. Unlike most years we haven’t planned a long trip away from home this year, but we have left open the possibility of dropping everything and heading out.

I am not the only freelancer who is juggling his or her schedule to fit the needs of clients and family members. Not too many people I know are able to schedule a full two-week break and head off to some faraway destination. A few days here or there seem to be the norm with some writers making spur of the moment plans and then taking their leave.

There is one thing we all seem to be in agreement on: we need the occasional break if not only to allow us to enjoy some respite from our writing schedules, but to allow us to see that there is a tangible world out there, far beyond what our laptops and personal computers have to offer.

To encourage you to take some time off before Labor Day, I am offering up the following excuses freelancers make for NOT taking a break. I get to refute each one, so please follow what I have to say closely.

My plate is full and I can’t take time off. Well, so is mine. I’ve been blessed with more work than I’ve had in quite some time and it would be easy for me to not go away. Still, something “else” beckons including my wife and children who want to get away.

I’ve got this project due next week. Yes, I have one due too. So, I’ve decided to work a few nights and part of the weekend to get it done. An extra hour here or there devoted solely to a project works wonders. That also means you’ll have to cut back on the social networking chatter for a season in order to get your work done.

I was offered a new gig this week and I really need the money. Financial constraints can dictate everything, something I can fully understand.  Try to get some flexibility in the project, perhaps allowing you to escape for a three-day weekend while still being able to tackle the project. Under no circumstances are you to bring your work with you!

I blog daily and can’t take the time off. Yes you can. I blog daily as well and I’m not talking about this blog. There are two blogs I update Monday through Friday with fresh articles, but I’m already writing ahead and scheduling those posts so that I can enjoy some time off. Moreover, I’m accepting some guest articles to help tide things over until I return.

Of course, there is the matter of paying for a place to stay, the gas or airfare to get there and all of the costs related with being away from home. Priceline.com or a similar site can help you find travel deals. Or, maybe it is time for you to accept your friend’s invitation to visit their cabin or beach home. If you’re single, a couch might do.

I’m sure you’ll come up with something, being the resourceful and talented person you are. Who knows, but that much needed break could provide the springboard for some later article or narrative, a real life experience gained because you took some time off.

Photo Credit: Gary Scott

On Gratitude….Memorial Day

I’m staying in town this Memorial Day weekend with my family, deciding to avoid the throngs of people who are occupying some of the popular beaches along the North Carolina coast. A few years ago we took advantage of this same long holiday weekend, by sharing a home with family friends in Carolina Beach.

Yesterday, while stopping in at the local store of a big box retailer, I spotted them: members of the American Legion standing outside, asking everyone passing by if they wanted to contribute something to aid disabled war veterans and veteran families.

Earlier in the day I had noted to my wife that I hadn’t seen these men and women around and wondered where I might find them. Happily, they were in their usual spot as in years past.

I waited until I was done with my shopping to stop by their table and was immediately struck by how generous everyone was: both of the large, translucent jars were filled with greenbacks, with many people giving larger bills.

I found four paper poppies to take home, made my donation, but I wasn’t about to leave. Instead, I turned to one of the veterans and said, “thank you for your service to our country.” Those simple words began a conversation which detailed one vet’s service in France during the Cold War and discussion about the state of our armed forces today.

We both knew in our unspoken words that many Americans are ambivalent to our nation’s military action abroad, questioning not so much our resolve but seeing little reason for getting or staying involved. I blame this viewpoint on a lack of clarity coming forth from our elected leaders who, on the one hand, readily apologize for some of our previous actions while failing to give a clear vision as to who we are and what we are doing.

Memorial Day does, of course, allow us to remember (and thank) the service of our war dead. Along with the handmade poppy, a staple of American Legion fundraising, I received a copy of the “About Our Poppies” testament which describes the origin of this tradition.

Soldiers who served in World War I were intimately familiar with the poppy fields of France and Flanders, inspiring Moina Michael to write:

We cherish too, the poppy red

That grows on fields where valor led;

It seems to signal to the skies

That blood of heroes never dies.

Profound words fittingly spoken.

Photo Credit: Ashton B Crew