About 2 1/2 weeks into this first draft. Page count somewhere in the low 30s, and getting ready to dive into a big action-packed sequence to wrap up Act One.

Not too bad.

Cranking out pages is anything but exhausting, especially when you’re enjoying it.  Which I definitely am.  I’ve been able to set aside time to write just about every day, and really like how it’s worked out.

But even though I won’t make any progress if I don’t write, sometimes a little break is kind of necessary. I actually don’t mind spending some time NOT writing.  Blasphemy, I know, but think of it as recharging one’s creative batteries, for lack of a better metaphor.

(Besides, probably like almost every other writer, even when I may not be physically engaged in the act of writing, it doesn’t mean I’m not thinking about the project. Which I always am.)

Another important part of this is not to feel guilty about it.  There’s no need. Better to step away from the laptop than to sit there and actually feel your brain cells burning out.  We’ve all been there.

As long as you know you’ll throw yourself back into the grind in the near future.

So today, during that short stretch of free time I would usually set aside for writing, chances are I’ll most likely crash on the couch and finally watch another episode of that show I’ve been meaning to watch, or happily exercise my reflexes and hand-eye coordination playing video games. Maybe even a nap somewhere in there.  All these choices!  The mind reels!

That’s today. Tomorrow – back to work.