Hi, Friends!

It’s been a while, huh? Thanks for coming back over to the blog today. I’m celebrating the return of the Internet to Casa Ethridge after a long and painful forced break (thanks local ISP folks).

Often when I dive into something–like my return here–I find myself paralyzed by everything and nothing. I have a hundred different thoughts in my head, and in the interest of wanting to not lose any good ideas, I can procrastinate myself into a hole. But I can justify it as trying to make the best decision.

We can do that with our writing, too. Especially if we’ve taken some time away.

(Quick Journey karaoke interlude: “Everybody needs a little time away, I have to say…from each ooooother…”)

There’s nothing wrong with taking a break–forced or unintentional–but it’s what we do with our return that counts. If you’ve taken a break from writing, I encourage you to dive back in. Don’t wade into the shallow end of the pool. It’s tempting. Less splash. Less potential for embarrassment. But way less fun. There’s no way that tiptoeing down the stairs can possibly equal the rush of air blowing past you as you leave the diving board and the crack of the water as you break the surface.

I’ve recently started writing in chunks that the Twitterverse has dubbed #1k1hr. This means taking at least an hour a day to write at least a thousand words. Because my goal is to write 1,000 words a day and my toddler will usually take at least an hour’s nap, this is a great project for me. And through posting on Twitter when I’m diving into my #1k1hr pool, I’ve gotten to meet and get support from a great community of other authors.

I don’t always have time to write the big chunks of the story like I want to. I’d love to be able to sit all day and focus on nothing but writing. But that would require hiring a nanny. And that would require a paycheck. It’s a vicious cycle.

But instead of making excuses, I do what I can. We all can do what we can. Every day of #1k1hr gets me 1,000 words closer to my goal. I’m writing a 60,000-word category romance. If I remain consistent in #1k1hr, that 60,000-word manuscript gets written in two months. Now, I’m realistic and I know I’ll have to take some time away (cue the Journey again) for a day here or a day there. Even if I take off a months’ worth of days, I can still get my project complete in three months. That’s what consistency does for you. It gives you a plan and a means to achieving a goal.

When you take a break, what helps you get back on track? What are your daily writing goals? How do you make sure you’re achieving them–do you take part in #1k1hr or something similar? Post some comments below and give some ideas for your fellow authors!

And thanks for reading and welcoming me back!