As a freelancer (and sometimes work-a-holic), taking time off can be a struggle. We feel like we should always be working, doing more, and when we don't, we often guilt ourselves into compensating the next day with more work than we started out with.

Not this time.

I'm taking next week off and I am SO ready for it. I have blogs I want to write, articles I should finish beforehand – but it all amounts to doing double the work this week, and I just can't get my head into it.

The good news is I have fallen back into a regular writing routine after struggling for a few months there. But I'm afraid I'll slip right back into my funk when I take the entire week off.

On the other hand, we have some fun activities planned and haven't I said before that sometimes you just need to decompress and be inspired by life in order to have something that's worth writing about?

So really, the guilt and pressure are all self-imposed. How about a little self-imposed pleasure? Dip my toes in the pool, soak up some sun, eat some ice cream and get away for a while, right? It'll all be waiting for me when I get back.

My Works-In-Progress

• Well, it took a few weeks longer than I thought but I finally finished my tweet-inspired tale! Maybe once it finds a home, I'll spill the beans on whose tweet inspired me
• I haven't even started planning my WeSeWriMo project yet, not really! I've tried but keep getting stuck. Maybe my week off will allow my thoughts to settle and the perfect idea will come to me. I hope…
• Instead of driving myself completely insane, I'm going to hold off on my RPP idea until later. I haven't even looked at it since NaNoWriMo – I imagine it will need a lot of reworking, which isn't a bad thing. Sometimes the editing goes smoother than diving into something new
• I've been meaning to finalize my swag giveaway but it keeps getting pushed to the backburner. I'll need to tackle it when I'm back.

So, how to you cope with being constantly on the go and finding it hard to take some time for yourself? Think I'll be able to cope?!

Fellow WIP Wednesday posse:

• Jamie Eyberg – Vacation
• Aaron Polson – WIP Wednesday: "The End" Never Felt So Good

If you’re a writer participating in WIP Wednesday, post a link to your blog in the comments! More info on the WIP Wednesday initiative can be found at Kate Karyus Quinn's blog.

Fellow members of The Creative Alliance:

• Patrick Pillars – From The Dark Side Anthology Video & Interview with Nicole Ireland
• Ro Van Saint – Z-Cast Ep. 2
• David Sobkowiak – Full bios for all From The Dark Side Authors
• Vange – From The Dark Side Antho Stuff
• Nicole Ireland – Interview with Patrick Pillars

Want to know where all the cool kids go? Check out TCA and join us! Writers, artists, musicians – unite!

My insomnia is back. And although I harbor the illusion that on nights like these, I'll get thousands of words down or 10 articles pre-written, the reality is I often surf, play FreeCell, watch MTV melodrama and generally fall victim to ABS all over again.

But for once, my ABS has been fruitful.

I was trolling through my old files, curious to see what little gems I could unearth, if any…and then I found it.

An old novel on the go.

I can't believe I forgot about it. I think I started it in '98. I've plotted up to Scene 22, and have written just over 15,000 words so far (I just took a quick glance at the main file. There was a 2nd file that may be edits of the first few scenes, so I'm not sure how much it differs from the original draft…) It's a supernatural thriller based around twin brothers. I took a quick read – and I don't hate it!

Of course, I'm sure my skills as a writer have improved since then (I'm hoping!), so there will probably be lots of tweaking and a reworking of the plot and all that.

But that's the fun stuff. The reworking. The piecing together of the puzzle. The bending and shaping and sculpting of this malleable lump of characters and plot and conflict into something tangible.

Could it be that I have my NaNo 2010 project?!

For now, however, it's staying put on the back burner. As i start to remember the nuances of the story, I'm going to need to let it brew a little while longer as I think of what I want to do with it.

This weekend, I'm hoping to pick up my NaNo edits. I still feel like I'm on the outside looking in on the current piece, so if I can't make it work, I'm going to shelve it for now and move on to one of the other ones.

The thing that sucks is I know how I want this story to be. It's kind of similar to those mornings you wake after having a strange dream and you don't quite remember it but the residual strangeness seems to remain with you the rest of the day. I feel like it's just out of my grasp. I know eventually, I'll be able to push through the gossamer veil between the dream and reality. But right now, I'm still waiting…

[NWC]

Working from home takes a certain kind of person. One with the drive to get out of bed every morning; one who can both set and meet goals with no Boss Man or Woman looking over their shoulder; and one who, when starting out on that path to the desk, can muster up the gumption to sidestep the landmines of daytime television, irresponsible snacking and the draw of the daily nap.

I am not necessarily that person. I try. Even if I do sneak in a siesta now and then.

Last year, I made myself a schedule. Sure, the planning out of my day was, in part, an exercise in procrastination. As I color-coded each chunk of my day in Google Calendar, I quickly fell into routine and damn, if I didn't feel like I was accomplishing something when I was able to, for the most part, stick to it.

But now, I find myself faltering. I ignore those handy-dandy daily reminders in my inbox. I sneakily hit snooze on the ReminderFox pop-ups under the illusion that if I can't see 'em, they aren't there. And slowly but surely, my productivity has taken a nosedive.

Today, I said enough. New year, time for a new plan of attack. It's obvious I can't do everything I want to do in a day. Time to go with the flow and do what I can.

I've got my freelancing to attend to. My copywriting website to update. My shopping site to revamp, and its corresponding blog to update. Not to mention the 7 or 8 short stories I started as part of my NaNo collection (plus another 8 to 10 half-finished pieces whispering at me from the bottom of my WIP pile).

Seriously, I had pretty much plotted out a space for every one of those tasks on a daily basis. I'm talking "from 10 to 12 will be my Morning Writing Session, after which I'll take an hour for lunch while I conceptualize, write, edit and post a fashion blog, followed by an hour of seeking out new copywriting projects, then depending on the day I either source new markets or promote or market or network all 3 websites, then squeeze in another 2-hour writing session before quitting and starting dinner/laundry/chores/going insane".

Yeah. Do you see what I mean? No wonder I lost momentum. It's a dizzying schedule. And I don't even have any kids (though the cat could rival a room full of toddlers any day of the week).

So, although I'll still be my own personal carny, of sorts, where I must juggle my day-to-day life with my entrepreneurial and creative aspirations, I've come to realize that I can only do so much, and as long as I'm doing what I love, I've already accomplished my goals.

Even if there's always another load of laundry waiting to be done.

WIPS:

- after a month and a half of no fiction writing whatsoever, I finally got back to work on my NaNo 2009 WIP. Story 1: boring. Now i know why I've been putting it off for so long. So, I've taken a new approach, started working on a new intro and I think I'm getting excited about it again

- Looked at upcoming fiction deadlines to see what interests me, where I want to submit pieces to, and came to the realization that I need to clone myself if I want to do it all. Doing it all well is another story. Either way, I've got the remaining NaNo stories to pick through – hopefully at least one will match with an upcoming deadline to give me some sort of direction on which one to work on first

- As part of my personal challenge to do the 500 Words A Day Challenge, I actually managed to get just over 1K today. Woo! Can we say "icon upgrade"?

If you’re a writer participating in WIP Wednesday, post a link to your blog in the comments!

Fellow WIP Wednesday participants:

• Cate Gardner: WIP Wednesday: Dead Pearls Floating

• Mercedes Yardley: WIP Wednesday: Whoomp! (there it is)
• Barry Napier: Hurry up and wait
• Jennifer Tatroe: WIP Wednesday: The Voice
• Aaron Polson: WIP Wednesday: The Big Feelings About Genre
  

[NWC]

My word count on fiction projects for 2010? Zilch.

So far, most of my time has been spent getting into the routine of writing articles for Examiner, promoting said articles, and working on my other websites (Indie Collective, styleFLASH & Outstanding Ink) as well as giving this one a bit of a facelift.

At the end of 2009, I toyed with the idea of re-opening my online boutique (I was a jewelry designer/knitter/crocheter for a long time). Who am I kidding?! I barely have time to sleep these days.

I'm starting to discover that I may very well be a workaholic. I can't seem to turn my brain off at night. The cogs keep turning, going over article ideas, stories I want to write, emails I need to send, etc.

So, the fact is, I haven't written anything new, other than articles. But at least I'm still writing. Unfortunately, the perfectionist in me isn't happy with that!

So, I've decided to take part in Inkygirl's 500 Words A Day Challenge!

The good news? I've been here before. Last year, I started my Writer's Accountability Chart and this week, I've been slowly getting back into the routine of not only using it, but using my blank board as motivation to work toward checking off some of the categories daily.

500 Words was one of my targets, and although I'd like to do more (told you…workaholic/perfectionist), I need to be realistic. With everything else that's going on, 500 words of fiction (on top of whatever daily articles I produce) seems like a good fit for now.

So, what are your writing goals for 2010? Or your life goals even? Besides reading and writing more, I'd like to write some letters, spend more time with family & friends, and continue to strive for my dreams.

If you’re a writer participating in WIP Wednesday, post a link to your blog in the comments!

Fellow WIP Wednesday participants:

• Jeremy Kelly – WIP Wednesday: The Driven Snow
• Katey Taylor: WIP Wednesday slides in under the line

[NWC]

In case you missed it on Facebook & Twitter, I picked up a new gig as the Toronto Writing Examiner at Examiner.com!

While I've only just begun, I'm having a blast! My task is to share local writing news, including workshops, events, book signings and anything that I feel fellow writers will find beneficial. It's a bit different than posting here in my own blog. Although I try to infuse my own voice into each piece, I do still have to maintain a certain objectivity and keep myself out of the story. Either way, I'm loving the job so far and I hope you are enjoying my articles!

For those who have asked, I do get paid for my articles, but not on a flat fee. My earnings depend upon visitors, clicks, subscribers and comments – so the more the merrier!

If you want to give this freelancer a little support, here are a few ways you can help:

1. READ my articles at http://www.examiner.com/x-33703-Toronto-Writing-Examiner and share the links with friends & colleagues interested in books & writing. And make sure to comment!
2. TWITTER: Follow me at http://www.twitter.com/torontowriting and RETWEET my posts! or click the TWEET THIS button within each article
3. SUBSCRIBE: sign up for email notifications of new articles http://tinyurl.com/yb9n6f9 and pass the links along to friends
4. STUMBLE UPON: Add the SumbleUpon toolbar to your web browser and click the "I Like this" button
More Info here: http://www.stumbleupon.com/productdemo/
5. DIGG: Submit and/or vote on my articles on DIGG – http://digg.com/users/torontowriting

I know – you've got a busy life. But even a quick sentence or two, or a one-click subscribe will help me out. I really do appreciate your interest so much, as it allows me to truly do what I love. How many of us can say that about our jobs? I feel so lucky to be able to do just that, and again, it means so much that I have people in my life who support and encourage me to strive for my dreams

Okay, enough sentimentality. I've got some articles to write! Watch for a recap of my articles coming soon…

P.S. A few of my writing buddies are also Examiners. Want the latest book news? Check out Jenny as the Harrisburg Book Examiner! Want the scoop on the latest scary flicks? Read James' column as the Harrisburg Horror Movie Examiner.

[NWC]