A vacation is supposed to be a relaxing time, in theory. For me, the word vacation hasn't really existed in the personal Sean Sweeney Dictionary. The last time I got away from it all was about 4 1/2 years ago when I was the Sports Editor at the Southbridge Evening News; I spent some time in Florida with the woman I was seeing at the time, and we took a drive up to Valrico to see my sister and my two nephews. Since then, funds have been short for any real extended trip away from home; last year, I did take my cousin Christian to Boston for a historical day trip and a Red Sox game. Other than that, I've done staycations to pass the time, even though I'm usually working on a book. When I'm normally done with a book, I still have sportswriting to do. The stars haven't truly aligned for me to have a real vacation.
That will all change tomorrow, as Jen and I are headed to Cape Cod for the next week. Jen's grandmother lives there, and we'll be spending the time on Ballston Beach, taking a drive up to Provincetown, taking in some Cape Cod League Baseball on Monday, the Wellfleet Drive-Ins on Friday, and taking a little walk up to the Truro Lighthouse. No laptops, no desktops, no Internet save on my phone, and no worrying about writing a book or finishing a book or how many sales I have had during the week. I will have my Kindle, though: I'm planning on finishing Paul S. Kemp's THE HAMMER AND THE BLADE before I dive into A GAME OF THRONES. Relaxation is on the bill, for the most part.
I am, however, bringing along a notepad and a pen, just in case I have the sudden urge to jot down a note. I am a writer, after all. Sudden bursts of inspiration can hit, especially when on the beach: the last time I was on a beach was a little over nine years ago, after dad passed away. I brainstormed Chapter 5 in THE QUEST FOR THE CHALICE on Wells Beach in Maine. I just sat on the beach, looked out toward the ocean, and the ideas came to me.
Something about the sea air is helpful in the writing process, something that I haven't experienced in so long.
That'll happen at least once a year from now on. See you in a week.
www.seansweeneyauthor.com
No comments:
Post a Comment