Days 18 - 20 : Time off

Yes, it's true. I haven't posted here since Thursday because I took a long weekend off from NaNoWriMo. Although I haven't yet reached the point of being sick and tired of my So-Called Novel, I thought taking some time off might be a refreshing change. Since beginning to write on November 1st, I hadn't missed a day, writing at least 1,000 words (and at my most regular pace, at least 2,000 words) every day. After not taking any days off for whatever reason--work, health, play--I thought I deserved a weekend off. And what better time, I thought, to take a break than during a time when I wasn't sick of the project, during a time when I knew I could easily at any time pick it back up and make up for lost time.

So now it's Monday morning. The last time I set finger to key was last Wednesday, when I stopped at 32,312 words: well ahead of schedule. Now it's Day 21, and I should be at 35,0007 words...and after a quick breakfast of instant oatmeal mixed with thawed frozen blueberries (thank you, modern grocery miracles), I spent 40 minutes to break 34,000. That means I'm still a bit behind schedule...but I won't be later today. And having taken an entire long weekend away from my So-Called Novel--time when I refused to think about how I "should be" working on it--I'm looking forward to making some good, quick progress today. "Okay, typing fingers. Let's get down to work."

What's your favorite way to take Time Off from a writing project? Are you ever able to forget your work, or do you carry it around like an albatross around your neck?

Word count: 34,057

Last line: But Alexa did know with certainty that Paul would never know her dreams, resolving to record them with care into that small, well-hidden notebook while he still slept, oblivious, in a bed barely big enough to shelter them both.