Getting Away to Get Down to Business

I recently left town for a few days to be part of the Press Corp for the Inaugural Convention of the Dairy Girl Network. This was a great opportunity to wear two of my hats at once and it taught me so much. I won’t get into the importance of colostrum for calves, because this really isn’t the place for that. The pearl of wisdom I want to share with you is about getting away to help get back on track with your writing. This wasn’t easy for me. I had so many reasons not to leave (and I gave birth to 4 of those reasons) but yet I came back ready to give 110% again. It was a great opportunity to learn, network, but most of all to recharge my batteries.

We often hear how important it is to write every day – to practice our craft like an athlete prepares for a marathon. Just like an athlete needs time to rest their body, we as writers need time to rest our minds. A change of scenery, an upset in routine, some new faces and different places – all of those things will help with creativity and concentration. It wouldn’t even need to be a writer’s workshop or anything relating to our trade. A romantic weekend with our spouse, an indoor waterpark with our

Wine n Canvas - and new friend Tami Smith from Williamsburg, PA

kiddos, shopping with girlfriends and a hotel with a cozy bar are just some suggestions for getting away. It doesn’t need to be long (but it can be if that’s what works for you). It doesn’t need to be a far off destination. I’ve known authors to stay at a cute B&B right in their own town or in a neighboring town.

As for me…After 3 days and 2 nights out of town with a girlfriend and her toddler as well as my youngest, I came home and you wouldn’t believe all I’ve been able to accomplish. (Did I mention there was wine and canvas?) This wasn’t a romantic getaway and in fact, I still had a child in tow – but it was certainly a change of pace. Now that I’m home, I’m more productive but more important, I’m renewed. I’m not as short tempered with the children, I’m now sighing about all the never-ending laundry, and I have a smile on my face that was missing for quite some time.

How have you gotten away?

 Are there some destinations that work better than others for helping you feel renewed?

 How has getting away helped you get down to business?

 What tips do you have for other authors?

 What type of getaway works best on a small budget?

Share your thoughts and ideas with your friends – we love to hear from you!

Hugs,
~Crystal

Crystal is a church musician, babywearing mama (aka crunchy mama), business owner, active journaler, writer and blogger, Blog Tour Manager with WOW! Women on Writing, Publicist with Dream of Things Publishing, Press Corp teammate for the DairyGirl Network, as well as a dairy farmer. She lives in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin with her husband, four young children (Carmen 9, Andre 8, Breccan 3, and Delphine 1), two dogs, two rabbits, four little piggies, a handful of cats and kittens, and over 230 Holsteins.

You can find Crystal riding unicorns, taking the ordinary and giving it a little extra (making it extraordinary), blogging and reviewing books, baby carriers, cloth diapers, and all sorts of other stuff at:http://bringonlemons.blogspot.com/ and http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/

Read More »

4 comments Creativity, get away, getting away, renewing yourself, staycation, vacation, writers get away

Unplug Little Bug; New Years Thoughts and Ideas

Happy New Year Friends and Family!

If you’re anything like me, you were or are feeling a little sluggish and possibly “burnt out” after a busy/ hectic 2014. We had plenty of signals I was ignoring here at the Otto household:

• We were getting through the holidays instead of enjoying them

• The children were acting out (I was getting calls from school)

• We just weren’t feeling as jolly as in years past

We have so much to be thankful for and we weren’t forgetting that, but our cup of joy wasn’t overflowing in its usual way. I couldn’t quite put my finger on the root cause, but there was definitely something brewing. In hindsight I can see things clearly (isn’t that always how it goes?), and there were plenty of signs trying to get my attention.

• My hubby said “the kids are just so busy they don’t have time to play, run outside, or be kids”

• My iphone battery kept going dead or had a bug or something and the trouble shooting list included the warning: “use an alarm clock instead of keeping your phone on all night; no one needs to be that connected”

• My OB reminded me I need to be getting more sleep and it’s still okay to nap and sleep when our 15 month old is napping/sleeping

• Our neighbor encouraged my husband and I to take a ‘babymoon’ before the next baby arrives

For some reason, I dismissed each of these signs and just kept plugging away. After all, there were appointments to keep, cookies to bake, trees to cut down and decorate, clothes to wash, books to read, floors to clean, presents to buy, and the list goes on and on.

Christmas Day, I crashed and burned…I got up at 4am to make pancakes and bacon. I wanted the day to be special when the children woke up and I wanted my husband to have something hearty to eat before heading out to milk cows. The house was clean, the coffee was fresh brewed, and breakfast was made with just the right amount of love. The sitter arrived and I hopped in our vehicle and headed for church (I’m the church organist, so as much as I know the kiddos need to sleep in and relax, it wasn’t an option for mom). I hadn’t eaten any of the breakfast I made, and I must have drank a fair amount of coffee…despite the recommendation pregnant women should only drink one cup per day. I had only had 3 hours of sleep and I justified the extra caffeine as being necessary to get through the day.

I was wobbly and shaky trying to climb the stairs to the organ in the church balcony. I sat down for a bit and even grabbed an extra bottle of water trying to make myself feel better. I kept mentally reminding myself “they need you” and “you can’t let anyone down”. By the grace of God I made it through the service and even drove home. My husband saw me sitting in my vehicle 10 minutes after I pulled in. He stopped to see how I was and I wasn’t sure…instead of enjoying Christmas, I asked the sitter to stay while I took a 3 hour nap. Two things “hit me” at I was waking up:

• If it’s important for the life of my phone to turn it off at night so it can recharge properly, why isn’t it important for me? Aren’t I more important than a piece of technology?

• How can I expect my children to accept their imperfections if I keep thinking I need to do it all and be everything to everyone?

As an answer to those questions, this girl will be unplugging in 2015. I will not be answering emails at 3 in the morning, I will not stay up until the wee hours of the night reading a book just so I can post my review quickly, and I will be telling people (nicely of course) I do not have time to help with special projects. I’m going to let calls go to voicemail once in a while and I am going to adhere to my original plan of having a 3 day weekend with a 4 day work week. If this makes me “lazy” in the eyes of others, so be it. 2015 is the year I am taking care of what is important to me, so don’t be surprised if you receive my out of office email once in a while.

What’s new for you in 2015? What are your resolutions? What type of reflections do you have for 2014? What are your goals for the New Year? Share them here and then be sure to share them with others so you are more accountable. Hugs from my family to yours and may 2015 be everything you desire (and then some)!

Photo Courtesy of Oh! Photography

Crystal is a church musician, business owner, active journaler, writer and blogger, Blog Tour Manager with WOW! Women on Writing, as well as a dairy farmer. She lives in Reedsville, Wisconsin with her husband, three young children (Carmen 7, Andre 6, Breccan 15 months), two dogs, two rabbits, four little piggies, a handful of cats and kittens, and over 200 Holsteins. The Otto family is expecting an addition with Delphine Elizabeth Otto in February 2015!

You can find Crystal blogging and reviewing books and all sorts of other stuff at: http://bringonlemons.blogspot.com/ and keep up with her WOW! tours and blog posts at: http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/

Read More »

4 comments 2015, burned out, new start, new year new start, new year thoughts, personal time, refresh, resolutions, self care, unplug, vacation

Can Writers Ever Vacation?

I’ve always been strangely proud of the fact that I go on vacation without a laptop, smart phone, or any other device that would tempt me to “Just check in”, “Answer a few emails”, “Dash off a blog post”, or any of the other thousand things I could come up with that take “Just a minute”. I’m not one of those people with a margarita in one hand and a laptop in the other or strolling the beach yelling at the seagulls “It’s in the Anderson file and it has to go out today!” People talking on those hands-free phones still freak me out(and I imagine the sea gulls don’t enjoy them either).

When I go on vacation I really go on vacation…or so I’ve always told myself. But my pile of things to be packed for vacation includes two books that need to be read and reviewed, a book proposal I’m hoping to start(and Larson’s book about book proposals), and a post I promised a blogger the week I return. I’m also hoping to work on handouts for a class I’ll be teaching. And there’s always my novel. Did I mention I’ll only be away for a week? Somehow, I convince myself that without all the pressures of my everyday writing I’ll have time for the projects I’ve been pushing off. Except I’m supposed to be on vacation!

According to my dictionary the definition of a vacation is:

1. A period of time devoted to pleasure, rest, or relaxation, especially one with pay granted to an employee.

Pleasure, rest, relaxation. Yep, that sounds right. The problem is the second half “especially one with pay granted to an employee.” When you work for yourself—welcome to the wonderful world of freelancing—you’re constantly aware of the fact that if you don’t work, you don’t get paid. So I drag along projects out of guilt, panic, hope?

I’d like to say that after writing this post and thinking about my un-vacation like behavior I’ll leave all the projects at home. I won’t.

Are your vacations project free? Computer free? Smart phone free? Am I the only neurotic “I’m sure I can squeeze in a little bit of work” freelancer? Have you ever managed to completely leave the work at home? Tell me your secrets! Quick, I’m leaving for the beach soon.

You can learn more about Jodi and her crazy life on her blog Words by Webb at www.jodiwebb.com. Next week is dedicated to her favorite genre with Mystery Week

Read More »

Leave a Comment freelancing, vacation