RECHARGING

Monday will be my 700th post on this blog. Be sure to return then to help with my celebration and sign up for giveaways!

Each of us has work-related stresses. Although I love writing, occasionally I need to refill my well. What do I do? I meet with my three amazing critique partners: Geri Foster, Carra Copelin, and Brenda Daniels.

Geri Foster

We do more than critique each other’s work. We make suggestions, talk about marketing, discuss the new changes in social media, and laugh a lot. Yes, meeting with these women is group therapy.

Brenda Daniels

Other writers understand that hearing voices in one’s head is not necessarily a sign of madness. Okay, maybe a little madness, but we are allowed in public. And we only harm people in our books. So far.

Maybe you don’t write, but you do something that requires your concentration and sometimes causes you stress. So what do you do? I have a suggestion—meet with friends.

Psychologists say that the camaraderie and laughter of meeting with other like-minded individuals creates the same endorphins that runners experience in a “runner’s high.” What’s better, those endorphins from getting together with others hang around for up to three days. Yep. Goofing off with friends is beneficial to your mental health!

Carra Copelin

And there’s no major plan required. Call a friend and go to lunch or dinner. Join a book club, Bible study, bridge or bunco group—whatever appeals to you. Even if you enjoy the solitary pursuits of knitting, crochet, quilting, scrapbooking, gardening and so forth, join a group centered around those activities.

Even if—as I do—you enjoy time alone, occasionally meeting with others to exchange ideas boosts your morale and broadens your outlook. Not all of us are extroverts, but we must force ourselves to get up and get out of our routine. For me, this means venturing out of the comfort of my pink writing cave. But—my psyche protests—I love it here. So, I have to get tough with myself and make myself leave the security of the place where I’m most comfortable.

Today is critique day. I submitted my pages earlier in the week and have read and commented on my critique partners’ submissions. They’re good writers, by the way. Even the one who’s not yet published has great story ideas. I’ve printed out their pages and have them in my handy tote bag ready to walk out the door.

We meet at a local restaurant. The staff there know we like to sit in the front corner and that we’ll be there a while, but we tip well to make up for tying up the table. When I leave the restaurant, I’ll be recharged and ready to jump back into my writing.

What do you do to recharge?   

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RECHARGING OUR PERSONAL BATTERIES

Are you one of those people fortunate enough to have boundless energy? Does the Energizer Bunny come to you to have his batteries recharged? If so, I envy you.

I’m one of the less fortunate whose energy level is low—read lethargic. So how do I recharge my well? So glad you asked.

One of the ways is to meet with friends. This past weekend, four of us met for a writers' plotting marathon. We loaded up our suitcases, snacks, supplies, and trekked to a local motel where we locked ourselves in to work.  We worked hard from noon Friday until almost noon Sunday. I mean serious work.

Not that we were always serious. Laughter? Was there ever! Until we had tears running down our cheeks. The fun did not take away from our productivity. Actually, our merriment added to the quality of our output. Chocolate didn't hurt, either. And I ask you, is there ever too much chocolate? Of course not. 

Armed with plotting boards, Post-it Notes, and laptops, we brainstormed eight books. Two of those books and one novella were for me. Hooray! I can hardly wait to start writing them.

Each of us brought our ideas/premises for our books. The other three authors helped nail the linear progress of those stories. Writing from one of these strongly plotted outlines is much faster and saner for us than the seat-of-the-pants method. 

There are writers who start with the premise and jump in writing by the seat-of-the-pants. This works for them, or at least they feel it does. Two successful authors who do this are Diana Gabaldon and Alison Brennan. For many other writers we know, the method leaves them floundering and cutting material they've worked hard to create. Or jettisoning a story because "it's just not working." 

The four of us prefer to have a firmly plotted road map for our stories. That doesn't mean we can't take detours along the way as the muse inspires us, but we always return to the main highway of our plot map. For us, this produces a better story.

The result is that in spite of almost no sleep, way too much junk food, and being tired, I came home with my internal writing batteries recharged. 

If you’re not a writer, you probably don’t care about turning points, inciting incidents, black moments, and resolution. You’re interested in a great read. So are we, and we strive to make certain our books will offer readers the very best we have to offer.

How do you recharge?

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WRITING OR GROUP THERAPY?

The Yellow Rose RWA Chapter, of which I am a member, hosts an annual members-only retreat the second weekend of each October. In the past, we stayed at a lovely little cottage in Glen Rose that seemed to have a haunted fireplace. ☺ For several years we held the retreat at the lake house of a member on Lake Granbury until they sold the property and moved to Dallas. For a couple of years, the retreat was simply an all-day workshop at our regular meeting site. This year, the retreat is at a home on the shores of a lake near Fort Worth, Texas. The home has six bedrooms and four baths, so the 14 of us who plan to attend should fit nicely.

The photo above is from the website through which we rented the home.

And above is the view from back patio.

Writers are people who hear voices in our heads. We aren’t crazy (well, most of us aren’t), and we love to meet with other writers who understand our need to write down what these people in our head are saying and record their stories. Certainly, not everyone understands that aspect of writers. Fortunately for me, Hero  understand and is supportive. Not all writers are so fortunate. Many spouses actually try to prevent his/her spouse writing.

Gretchen Craig

Author Gretchen Craig will present a workshop. Other time will be spent brainstorming writing problems and, let’s face it, discussing anything that pops into our heads. Those of us attending are mega-excited. After I’ve attended one of these retreats, I’m physically exhausted for a few days, but mentally energized. Fresh ideas pop into my head for treatment of plots I’d already conceived. New plots follow, too.

Psychologists say that endorphins produced in settings like this are akin to a jolt-sized antidepressant that lasts for three to five days. A retreat like this one is shaping up to be could have me flying high for weeks.

What do you do to recharge your creative energy?

Thanks for stopping by!