For the last eight days, I was in Borneo...breathing in this:
And taking in lots of this, too:
Now keep in mind that for weeks before we left Shanghai, I'd planned to work during our vacation. I'd planned to Tweet, Facebook, blog, continue to connect, and yep, even get some work done on the session I'm doing at the Shanghai Literary Festival this weekend.
But, alas, I forgot to take my travel adapter along, and believe it or not, the resort did not have an adapter that fit the three-pronged plug of my computer cord.
The result? I couldn't work.
WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT??????????
Nope, I couldn't work.
This was, at first, panic-inducing. "What do you mean I can't work? I have to work." My stomach coiled up in knots.
But after a few days of this:
And that:
I realized how much I needed NOT to work. Since the launch of THIRSTY back in October, I've been moving at lightning speed. Brain in overdrive. Body in overdrive. Soul in overdrive.
I needed to disconnect, and I'm pretty sure the great gods of travel adapters knew this and conspired to leave me, truly, wireless.
What happened?
I quieted down inside. That idgy feeling in my belly of "I'm not doing enough to get the word out about THIRSTY" and "How do I get THIRSTY to more readers?" went away. I relaxed. I chilled out. I played. I got centered.
And then?
The same thing that always happens when I allow myself some breathing room happened: I started to write in my head.
Tra-la-la. I was writing in my head. Waking from gorgeous, wacky, wonderful dreams with full sentences and scenes. Staring at the ocean and learning something new about the characters in my second novel.
It was glorious.
Now that I'm back in Shanghai, I'm trying to hold onto that feeling. That tra-la-la-ing. And the wisdom of knowing that I when I push a little less, more happens.
Flow.
Welcome back! I feel calmer just looking at your pics. And I hear you on writing in your head -- sometimes I wish I could write half as well with my keyboard as I do while dozing off, waking up, in the shower, hiking, on the bus... ;-)
Posted by: Molly | March 04, 2010 at 07:02 AM
Yes, yes, yes! I had exactly the same thing happen during my recent trip to Slovakia - headed off full of good intentions to get loads of writing done...ended up writing not a word till I got home. Welcome back BTW.
Posted by: Sam | March 04, 2010 at 08:00 AM
I got relaxed just viewing your pics & reading your entry. Glad your trip to Borneo worked out this way, Kris.
Posted by: Amy U | March 04, 2010 at 08:05 AM
So glad you enjoyed your time off. Writing does need space. Sounds like you were inspired and refreshed. Perfect prerequisite to great writing. Nice pics!
Thanks for sharing, Kristin, and welcome back. :)
Dawn Herring
Posted by: Dawn Herring | March 04, 2010 at 02:14 PM
Great Pictures! Welcome back...
Posted by: JMartin | March 04, 2010 at 10:50 PM
So good. What a great lesson. I need to unplug once in a while. Doesn't ever happen, but I certainly need it.
Posted by: Spencer L. Casey | March 05, 2010 at 01:54 AM
Welcome back! Can't wait for our upcoming vacation. Not quite as exotic. But we can stand some serious down time after a move and a musical in February. You look tan!
Posted by: Christina Katz | March 06, 2010 at 10:47 PM