Refueling your Creativity

Okay, I admit it. I haven't felt particularly creative lately. I had to restart my WIP because there wasn't enough conflict in the plot, and the prospect of trashing 20K words and starting from scratch made me want to cry, crawl into bed, and forget the world.

Add to that the various responsibilities that fall on my shoulders, and I was a dry well when it came to my creativity.

And yet, I have a deadline. This manuscript is due on my agent's desk on April 1st. I HAVE to crank out the words. I have to create this story, these characters.

What to do...

I decided that I might be able to unstopper the bottleneck if I found another way to be creative. A different project that would allow my hands to be busy and my mind to be free to roam.

So I headed to Hobby Lobby and bought some baby yarn, perused the internet until I found a pattern I liked, and--as my daughter would say--Voy-Oh-Lee! 

I created a lovely afghan that I will soon gift to a mom-to-be, and while I was working, I let my mind ruminate on the story, the characters, and why I wanted to write. 

And on Saturday, I added 6K words to my manuscript. 

What do you do when the creativity dries up? How do you refuel?

The Friday Five

Elias Rosedahl of the Rochester Homeschool Defenders with a jump shot. 

We are deep in the heart of basketball season, and though it is a big commitment in time and travel, I love it!

So, this week's Friday Five is:

Five things I love about basketball.

1. The game clock only runs when the ball is actually in play. Did you know that when you watch the Super Bowl, the ball is actually in play for eleven minutes during the game? The rest of the time, the clock is winding while they set up, audible out of the play, put someone in motion, move the chains, etc.  But with basketball, you get non-stop action.

2. Buzzer-beaters. Wicked exciting.

3. Upsets. On any given night, any team can pull off a win.

4. The history. (Though this week I realized how old I'm getting when a teen I was talking to didn't know who Bill Walton is. I didn't have the heart to ask if he'd heard of Wilt Chamberlain.

5. The Jayhawks. :) Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk!!!! KU!

Do you like sports? Do you like basketball? Do your kids play sports? Did you play a sport?

I'm Baaaaaaack....

Do you ever need a little time off? A time to recharge your batteries, to let go of some of your obligations and responsibilities and refill your well?

I've been away from blogging for almost a month. (I can't believe it! That's the longest break I've had in years of blogging!) Now I'm back and ready to share some thoughts, pictures, ideas, etc.

What do you do when you need to recharge and refresh?