For a first week back after a whole lot of travel and no reading, writing, or online activity at all, I’m surprised at how productive I’ve been. Although in retrospect it’s not such a surprise, because my brain is rested, refueled with experiences and images and the stuff creativity is made of, and I’m ready to work.

Clearly time off is good for writing. I did not go off to wallow in slothdom and never write again. I came back and knocked out edits on one project, got another set of edits well underway, and also hashed out all the details on a new project and have that ready to roll (and in fact I have a great opening already written).

More valuable, though, I came back with a clarity of focus I’d been lacking; I’d been unclear on what I wanted to do, and now I know exactly what my game plan is. And it includes shelving a book I’ve been waffling on all summer, but that’s okay. The truth is, that book doesn’t fit what I want to do, overall. Not at this time. So it would be a bad idea to sell it now. Knowing this, I’m okay with putting it aside.

I’m still working my way through Camelot, and since I’d like the weekend off, I’m going to be buckled down today.