Drained
A few weeks ago, I was riding on a creative high. Writing short stories for anthologies, posting Starwalker, returning to the steampunk novel I put down in March, and generally working on a whole host of stuff in my spare time.
It looks like that spurt of energy has faded. For the past week or so, I’ve been struggling to write much of anything. Last week’s Starwalker post was done pretty late (though it posted on time!), and I’m okay with how it came out in the end, but it was a struggle. More than I like.
This week, it’s more of the same. I feel like I need a break, a chance to rejuvenate. I’m not feeling Starry’s story the way I usually do. I have an idea about what I want to do this week, but when I look at the page, the opening words escape me. If I started it now, it would be forced and that seldom comes out well.
It doesn’t help that I’ve just got through a major plot turning-point and the ship (and story) is heading off in a new direction. The characters are all reeling and I feel like I am, too!
Add to that the fact that the CFS is not being kind to me right now, sucking the energy out of pretty much everything I do, and you’ll get an idea of where I am right now. The last thing I want to do is turn out crap; my readers deserve better. But I hate missing posts and breaking my promise to my readers, too. These are weeks when I wish I had a buffer.
But it’s not all dire! I have another choice that I can take advantage of. For the past few weeks, I’ve been poking at some Starwalker shorts (sometimes with a stick from a distance, but there has been actual writing done, too). I’ve got a couple just about finished, and this seems like a good opportunity to release one of them into the wild. A short can take the place of my regularly scheduled update.
The moment I considered that option this morning, it felt like a weight lifted off me. That was when I knew it was the right answer. So I think I’ll take a little break. See if I can get my mental breath back. And in the meantime, I get to share a little piece of a character’s backstory with my lovely readers.
Here’s hoping they won’t mind the break. With luck, I’ll come back next week brighter and fresher than ever. I’ve got a couple of days off work coming up, too, so hopefully that will help. Wish me luck and sleep!
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