Archive for May 6th, 2009

For the past month or so, I’ve been thinking about taking off an entire week of work to get a much-needed break, but to also focus on writing my novel. I have loads of vacation time, but not a lot of money, so I thought this little “staycation” as they now call it could be really beneficial. So I booked it and starting next Monday I’ll have the week off. On Thursday afternoon, I’ll have to travel about two hours to go to my brother’s wedding, which will be a great way to end my week.

So, now that I have a plan, I’ve been fantasizing about what I will do with my time. A part of me thinks I should treat it as a write-from-home workday, so I can role-play what that would be like regularly. Another part of me thinks I should just relax and take it easy.

Either way, they are somewhat one in the same in my mind. My fantasies include four days of the following…

Wake up at dawn, and do some amazing yoga, where I’m already completely flexible and able. Preferably, this yoga would be done on some sort of veranda with the sunrise within my gaze. I would be a master at it and wouldn’t require the assistance of instruction.

Then, I would eat a delicious fresh fruit salad. For whatever reason, when I picture this time off I think of fresh fruit. I have no idea why. But there would be lots of it. Ideally, I would eat this on some patio while reading a newspaper that I have some sort of subscription to. Or maybe a book.

Around 8:30, I would wander into my amazing home office that has an incredibly comfortable office chair, and get to work writing. The words would come out easily and my manuscript would just flow, but not too much. Every paragraph would be tight and meaningful of course.

Then around lunchtime, I would make myself a delicious grilled chicken salad. All organic of course, and drink peach iced tea.

After lunch, I’d pack up my laptop and head down to my favorite little café, where I’d enjoy some sort of latte and continue writing.

Then at 3:00, my really amazing writing group would converge at the local bookstore, which of course, would be right next to the café. We’d talk about our writing, review each other’s work and talk about books in general.

Around 5, I’d head home on foot, by way of a beautiful (secret) forest path that sits between my cute café and my (very nice) house.

Once home…

I’d make dinner for myself, probably something along the lines of a stir fry dish and a glass of pinot grigio. After dinner, I would maybe do some more editing and then retire with a big giant book. After a long bath, I’d fall asleep peacefully around 10 p.m. in matching pajamas (I have this strange theory that if your pajama bottoms and top match, you’ve got your life together).

And then I’d be so well rested to do it all again the next day, with some variations to keep things fresh.

But let’s be honest, chances are that I’ll sleep in until 10, grab a bagel, sit on the couch with my laptop, write if I’m lucky, eat grilled cheese, take a nap, watch Ellen, have some cookies, come up with something for dinner, do laundry, watch primetime TV while tweeting and reading blogs, and somehow squeeze a shower in there, before starting it all over again.

But a girl can dream, right?

By the way, if any of these pictures belong to you, I’m sorry. But you should know that I’m incredibly jealous!