Saturday Writing Essential: Going Crazy? Stop right now and take a breath.

Good morning, writers!

I pray this finds you well, ready to enjoy your Saturday. For those of you in the States, I hope you're poised and ready to experience a lovely Labor Day Weekend, and that you'll be able to fill a bit of it with some writing time.

My week? It's been overwhelming, actually. Horribly hectic. Filled with a gazillion family appointments, all scheduled to be done before college starts up again for the twins. On Tuesday, I sat by my daughter Allison's side and patted her foot while she was zoomed head first into an MRI unit (fortunately it turned out okay), and the rest of the week was full of allergy, eye, dental, primary care appointments and more. Allison's twin, Melanie, was off on a trip to Boston and Connecticut, searching for the perfect master's program for music therapy. There were lots of phone calls for advice and consultation.

Of course, this was all fit in over a full work week of engineering. On top of that, school started last Monday for eldest daughter, Jenn. She's returned for her final year of nursing, and our babysitting duties have skyrocketed. Now, you all know how much I adore my two little grandsons, Julian and Gordon. They are the light of my life. I crave time with them. I am blessed and rejuvenated by their proximity. But some nights, Jenn doesn't get home til 9 o'clock. It makes for a very long day.

And guess what suffers?

Right. My writing time.

So - for the first time in a long time - my characters have woken me almost every night at 2AM. It's totally unplanned, but has occured four times this week. My protagonist, Sam Moore, has been thrust into a psych ward after three people in his life were brutally murdered within a week, and he's not happy. Not only is he a suspect, but he's losing it just like he did when his little brother disappeared fifty years ago. Poor Sam. And he wants the green marble to take him back in time - so he can bring them all back to life.  So, with this bizarre solution of middle of the night writing (2-4AM), Sam has robbed me of my sleep, yet soothed my writer's need to create. 

Has this ever happened to you?

I awoke at 7 this morning, two hours after my usual routine to prepare for my Saturday Writing Essential piece. Although we are not paid a salary for this job, I consider it an honor and take it very seriously. So, I panicked a little when my grandson peeked in the room and I realized I'd lost two hours. Again.

Balto, our puppy, squeezed past Gordie into the bedroom and did the "I have to go out" dance, so I took him down and clipped him onto his run. I leaned on the porch, drinking in the cool morning air, tempted to wander out to the gardens to pick vegatables or take photos.

As I stood there waiting and just breathing, a lime-colored hummingbird flitted into view, attracted by the tall spires of lavender flowers in the coleus. He flitted around the spike, dipping repeatedly for the nectar. He didn't have much of a choice left in this garden, since the monarda dried up in the last three weeks of oppressive heat.

Anyway, this full-of-energy little bird suddenly stopped mid-air and simply hovered. He actually seemed to be staring right at me. He just hung there, wings beating, holding his position. As if he were trying to tell me something. Relax. Enjoy. Breathe.

And so, dear friends, I plan to follow his advice. Whether I'm losing it, like Sam Moore, or whether it was an important symbolic message meant to mysteriously pop into my brain, it's a good idea. After the chairs are delivered and errands are done, I'm going to relax. I might just weed those beets a little, or do some mowing, or maybe make a chocolate zucchini cake, or... Well, I promise that whatever I do, it will be because I want to do it, I enjoy it, and I've made a conscious decision to do so. ;o)

I hope you all have a spectacular weekend, whether you're down under welcoming spring, or celebrating the passage of summer to fall up North. No matter where you are, be sure to remember to breathe. (And of course, write like the wind!)

Aaron

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Aaron Paul Lazar works as an engineer by day but can be found on weekends in his gardens with his two toddler sidekicks, grandsons Julian and Gordon. His passion lies in writing, where he has created eleven books with characters of depth, color and substance. Lazar entices readers with intricate plots, lush imagery, breathless action, gourmet meals, classical music, bountiful gardens and surprising romantic moments.

Mr. Lazar also writes monthly columns for the Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine, Voice in the Dark newsletter, and The Back Room ezine and has been published often in Absolute Write. He lives in Upstate NY with his extended family. Visit his websites at:

www.legardemysteries.com; www.mooremysteries.com, and his blog at www.aaronlazar.blogspot.com.

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