Having taken a break over the summer to play … well, not play exactly, but just to refresh, I’m ready now to dig in and ask some questions:

-How did you spend your summer? Writing or playing?

-Did you take any breaks?

-Did you find time to do something fun?

-Have you allowed time to refresh and renew?

We all like to take the vacay, but most love to get back home. Dig in, start anew, have our own pillows to snuggle into. And for good reason—while play is fun, most of us are wired to have a strong work ethic. If not, we wouldn’t be writers in the first place. After all, it’s not a career for a sloth.

Working is second nature to us. In early days, folks had to work sunup to sundown in order to survive. Without the long hours, there would be no food on the table, no roof over their heads. As writers, we have to establish our career every bit as seriously. If not, it’s a hobby—not a job.

And still, even if we work upwards of sixty hours a week, as many of us do, we must set aside a few hours a week, or a few days in the summer to simply enjoy ourselves.

We spent a few days exploring and researching the castles and lands in Ireland…I see a story on the horizon…