2 more hours of freedom

I have just a couple of hours left of peace and quiet before my time to relax is all but over and Bryden and the kids return home from a camping trip.

The last few days have been exactly what I needed, time out to just sit back and do nothing much. At first I thought I'd use the time to do a little writing, including to finish a story I began in October. But I changed my mind and figured that next week, once school starts, I will be thrown back into routine whether I like it or not and that this was my only/last chance to unwind.

I know many writers think it's necessary to write every day, but I disagree. I figure that if I'm going to treat writing as a job, as work, then it's a healthy thing to take a month off every year or so. And I must say that since I decided not to get back to it until February, I'm becoming more eager to finish my October story, as well as to make a start on a new one brewing in the depths of my mind.

Which reminds me of one of the reasons I love to write in the first place, the excitement that comes with knowing stories and characters are coming to life, and the anticipation of putting them into words. But I am determined to hold out until next week before getting back into it.

On the plus side, I've been reading a lot, and I realised that all the books I've read thus far in 2010 (I'm on my 5th) are by Australian women. I might see how long I can keep that up, if I can get through the entire year reading novels by only Australian women.

Now though, I'd better go check on the banana cake in the oven that will be ready to greet the kids with when they get back.