What to do with down time...

There's a problem that can develop for published writers when they finish one project and have yet to move on to the next. It's called "down time." You haven't put your foot solidly into the next manuscript and have the success of the last one to distract you--after all, there are book signings and appearances, the public clamoring for your attention! OK, maybe it's not that exciting. But it can be difficult to weather the lull that occurs and find that motivation to move past yet another blank page--or computer screen--and start to be creative again. You've probably also been editing for months without really having to create anything completely new. So what do you do?

The key is to stay creative in one form or another. When a manuscript is finished and you don't have that next solid project to jump into, use that time to develop other skills. Try a new form of writing: poetry, screen plays, satirical humor. Whatever. It can relieve some pressure in that you're not being expected to perform the same "tricks" over and over and it can be like a mental vacation from the usual workload. Or maybe just keep a journal for feelings and abstract ideas. Just write. It's like exercising and when a new inspiration hits, you won't have as difficult a time warming up those muscles again.

Kindle is King!

OK, I admit it, I'm hooked. These past three weeks having my Kindle have been great. I've had to take one of my parents to the doctor a lot and so I bring my Kindle and when I finish reading one book, I've got another waiting! And I've been keeping a few on it for for my kids as well (YA and fairy tales) and so when we've gone on trips I know that I'll have something for them to read at bedtime or when they get bored. I'm already up to around 50 books--a lot of them free! So I'm going to put in my plug and say that if you haven't checked out an e-reader yet, do. There are a variety of styles and I've heard pros and cons about each. But I haven't had to recharge my Kindle yet and it was affordable and easy to use.