The Power of a Creative Break

Hello Vocal!

If I were at all apologetic for taking care of myself, I suppose this is where I would inform you that my sincerest apology was yours for the taking due to my rather long absence from updating your feeds. Certainly a writer cannot make her way without readers, and certainly she cannot maintain readers without giving them something to read! Thus is the essence of the writers creed I’ve bound myself to in so many forms of ink and blood; “Ass in chair, words on page. Repeat.” These are some of my favourite words about writing, and this continues to be my mantra as a writer, however, I’ve learned that the execution of said mantra is the art of which I’ve still much to learn.

For my absence and for my amateur stage of executing aforementioned mantra, I am not sorry. In essence, I’m the opposite of sorry; but I’d rather use something more fun to describe it than “unapologetic”— EVERYONE is unapologetic. Deodorant commercials, pizza parlours, bigotry: what do they have in common? They’re all unapologetic and they all arouse Fox News anchors. Was that an easy joke? Yes. Am I sorry? Still no. I am unashamed-impenitently-obdurately-mercilessly not sorry.

I cannot put aforementioned ass in aforementioned chair and put aforementioned words on the aforementioned page and then repeat as aforementioned if I am not replenishing the source of where those words come from. My writing comes from my life, my words from the moments I live in real time, my creativity from turning real moments into those that are extraordinary. I love the idea of challenging my own creativity by exercising a sense of discipline in my writing, and I’ve done so in many different ways on Vocal (check it out on my Vocal creator feature here it was pretty fabulous and something I still reel from). I push my limits, I finish the challenge, I’m proud of my work, and then I find myself completely void of any and all creativity and hate every single thing I write afterward.

I’ve spent the fall and winter mapping out some larger writing projects, and by that I mean I wrote a few ideas down and then walked away completely. Unashamed. Not feeling like less of a writer, not crying about the fact that my really cool cousin who is a writer might think I’m kind of a fake and never going to make it, not putting undue pressure on myself to write a non-apologetic apology letter to return to Vocal so Vocal remembers I exist and am still a promising new writer.

Just… relaxing. Replenishing. Being cool.

I’m really cool.

In all seriousness, which is still not much seriousness, I find myself needing a break now and then if I want to maintain a disciplined writing regimen. I had a great break, and I’m ready to get back at it. I’m so excited about the new challenges, new creators, and incredible content I’ve watched emerge while lurking in the shadowy corners of Vocal. I’m excited to be back, I’m excited to throw my scarf in the ring on more challenges, and I’m super excited to see how the Vocal Fiction Awards turn out!

I’m not throwing my hat in the ring because I quite like my hats, but scarves are kind of out now. No one wants my scarves. I will repurpose them for ring throwing.

Also, I’ve decided I haven’t been lurking in the shadowy Vocal corners: I like to think I’ve more so been lingering under the surface of the Vocal pond with a snorkel, just visible from the eyes up. Watching. Waiting. Wondering what in the hell just touched my foot.

So beware.

And hi.