Go Hang With Lola

I think that some of my fellow writers need to hear this. I know I have to remind myself of this once in a while. I've been writing for 30 years. Doesn't matter if it's published or not. I've noticed the trends in myself over all these years and here's what I've discovered:

-Your desire to write will ebb and flow. It's natural. You aren't burnt. You're just ebbing. 

-Creativity is a huge brain-drain and people seem to forget that. Just as we all sleep at night to rest and reset for the next day, we all must walk away from writing and live in the world for a while. 

-Pushing out a book when you don't feel it is not going to give you the material you want, or what you know you're capable of! (It's kind of like constipation... you have to go with it, if you force it's going hurt and suck and leave you with a bad feeling.) 

-Your interest in your characters will also ebb and flow; just as one week we feel like hanging out with Susie because she bubbly and silly the very next week, we may feel like hanging out with Sharon because she amazingly intelligent and endlessly curious. And then the week after you want to hang with Lola because ♫ Lola L-O-L-A Lola ♫  If your brain isn't ready for your newest masterpiece right now, then go hang with Lola for a few days. The others will be waiting.

And there's nothing wrong with that.

So you are hereby granted permission to go hang at the beach one day, go shopping even if you don't buy anything. Have lunch with a friend, your mother (she misses you, yo.), your kids. Watch the entire third season of Game of Thrones at a go. Start another manuscript-- I promise you, this is okay. 

Your friends don't hate you when you don't call for a week. Your characters won't either. 

Go forth. Live. Write. Hang with Lola.