Thursday, August 24, 2006

I am not very good at vacation. Partly it's that I need a few hours every day to write. If I don't get a little writing done in a day, I get cranky. Partly it's that vacation is largely group activities and I like at least part of the day to be my own. It is fun to go kayaking. It is fun to walk on the beach. It is fun to teach archery. It is just that at a certain point in a day I reach my sell-by and I want to hide. After about five days on vacation I just want to get back to work.

I think most of the writers I know are like that. We can be social, but then we hit our sell-by. Lisa and I greet every Sunday night with a little fillip of joy that Monday is a school day. (Somehow being alone together is as good as being alone.)

I really have to learn to enjoy vacation better. It's a downside to being a creative free lancer. When you're not hired to do something, you have to scramble to make things someone will option or buy. When you are hired, it's something you're creatively jazzed about, with a terrible urgency to it, so there's no time to slouch. I really enjoyed the last few days in South Africa, coming off a four month gig, but had I stayed there another few days I might have started to get anxious to get back home and start looking for the next gig.

I did finish the rough draft of The Alternative last night. I haven't read it yet. That's the big scary daunting task of today, if I get some free time. Parts will work and parts will not, that I'm sure of. I think the overall story works, but I'm not sure about the pacing. It is hideously too long at 127 pages (for a romantic comedy!) but that will come down fast. I'm guessing I'll end up with 110 pages. The movie should really be about 97 minutes long, I'm guessing -- a romantic comedy can wear out its welcome -- but it's a fast talking movie so 110 minutes is probably right.

And now back to work before the kids wake up!

9:50 AM

1 Comments:

Boy...that all sounds so familar its a little scary. So maybe it is a universal truth. Though over time (maybe its an age thing) I've found it easier and easier to disassociate a bit and 'enjoy' that time off a little more.

By  wcdixon, at 2:41 PM  

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