Monday, September 26, 2011

Back from My Break



I’m back! Glad to see all of you after two weeks, did you miss me? Well, I look forward to blogging with all of you again.

I took a much needed vacation where my wife and I enjoyed the Hawaiian islands of Kauai and Maui. Needless to say, both places were awesome and super relaxing! All your favorite tropical jungle scenes from Hollywood films like Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones were filmed near where we stayed in Kauai, and Maui provided plenty of snorkeling with sea turtles. All in all, a good time.  

Speaking of vacations, how do trips to places influence your writing in general? Does it spark new ideas for you or just put you in a more productive mood? Do you prefer to write on vacations or to take a break from writing while on holiday? 


24 comments:

  1. Sounds like it was a great time. Vacations always spark a creative side with me.

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  2. Wecome back, Mark!! I'm glad you had a good time. And Hawaii..I am jealous. Must plan a trip like that soon, puts my camping to shame. I can say that when I return from vacation I'm so rested that when I pick up my manuscript it's like greeting and old friend. :)

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  3. So glad to have you back and seriously jealous of your fun times in Hawaii. I haven't really taken a vacation since I started writing seriously, so I wouldn't know, but probably not. :)

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  4. Sounds like you had a fabulous holiday. Welcome back :-)

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  5. Now that sounds like a relaxing vacation! I tend to just leave the writer at home on my vacations.

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  6. You were in Hawaii? No fairs.

    I never write on vacation, but every trip is research for something. I take lots of pictures and sometimes write down descriptions of things. You never know how something might get used in a story.

    Welcome back.

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  7. I always take lots of pics and file locations away to use as possible settings :) And I'll often jot down notes...but for the most part I don't write on vacations. Welcome back!

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  8. I'm jealous! I've love to go to Hawaii. I usually take breaks when I go on vacation but return feeling recharged and inspired.

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  9. Welcome back!

    I like to think that vacations make me more productive in the long run, but I can have a hard time falling back into routines.

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  10. Welcome back! :) It sounds like you had a great vacation.

    I've never really had the chance to write away from home, so I can't say. I'd probably get too distracted.

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  11. Welcome back! Vacations are great, aren't they? And the ocean/mountains always influence my writing. Just such powerful, massive objects totally change my perspective.

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  12. Oooh, I want to go to Maui so badly. There's a fifth degree jui-jitsu black belt who lives there and I would love to train with him. Of course, that would be on top of Maui's other natural attractions.

    And, to celebrate your return, I have an award for you on my blog :)

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  13. Aw, you are giving me itchy feet. I haven't gone on a trip away in so long!! I'd love to visit Hawaii one day.

    Welcome back!

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  14. Nearly 3 years ago my hubby and I took a 15 cruise to Hawaii and back for our 25th wedding anniversary. My favorite island was Kaua'i. That was in January and by October of that year my daughter and her hubby and children had moved there (he's a life flight nurse). I've been twice since and have tickets to go again in January. It's now the setting of my NaNo project, and I used some time on a catamaran trip to talk technical things with the captain since one of my WIPs has one. Then summer of 2010 we visited the location of that same WIP (and no, they don't have catamarans in Montana--that I know of). It was amazing to actually visit the small town and get a feel for things. I made tons of changes in the story to fit what I found out in person that searching on the Internet had missed.

    I hope you had fun on your trip.

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  15. I rarely take a break from writing. Maybe a couple days here and there. But that's about it. If I'm not writing, I'm jotting down notes so I won;t forget ideas that constantly bombard my brain.

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  16. Glad you had a great trip and are back!

    I always take writing stuff with me on vacations with the intention of getting some writing in, but it never really happens. It does help to get that break, though, and come back more productive.

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  17. Welcome back! The Hawaiian islands sound beautiful! Hope you had a great, relaxing time!

    I don't tend to write while I'm away anywhere on holiday -- there's usually too much else to do: sight-seeing, food-tasting, etc. Holidays are a great time to do more reading, especially when I'm lazing on the beach. Plus, the hubster would not appreciate me writing when I should be spending time with him.

    However, if I'm on holiday but just staying at home, yes, that is the perfect time to write! :)

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  18. Great to see you back, Mark. You seem to have had a wonderful vacation. Holidays rejuvenate me, though I don't actually write when I am on a vacation, I brainstorm a lot.

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  19. Hello Mark:
    Welcome back indeed! Your holiday sounds to have been a huge success. We know very little about Hawaii but are sure that it is a place of great beauty and a wonderful place for recharging the soul and the mind.

    Breaks from the usual routines are so very invigorating we find and do act as catalysts for new ideas. We look forward to what fresh thinking your holiday has inspired!!

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  20. Miranda – Thanks, it was great time!

    Laila – Nothing wrong with camping:) I just needed to go to a warm place:)

    J.A. – Even a weekend getaway can help. I just needed a break from work.

    Sarah – Thanks!

    Alex – I like that “leave the writer at home on vacations.”

    L.G. – Yup, all the world is a canvas for a writer’s mind. It’s funny how sometimes even research for a book can be relaxing:)

    Michelle – I sometime take video footage, but mostly I’m interested in capturing impressions, i.e. how a smell makes me feel or the taste of a tropical windstorm. Very cool:)

    Ghenet – Recharged an inspired indeed!

    Hektor – True, routines can be hard to get back into, but also comforting in a way.

    Eagle – Thanks:) I hope you get the chance to write away from home, even if it’s jotting ideas in a journal:)

    Bethany – Oceans and mountains are two of my favorites, but who doesn’t like them? ;)

    Caitlin – Thanks for the award! And good luck with the black belt;)

    Lynda – Itchy feet are good…it’s only a plane flight away;)

    Donna – Very cool! If you need info on researching catamarans I used to crew on one, so you can ask me. My dad and I sail actively on San Francisco Bay and I’ve sailed everything from schooners to cats to tiny FJs.

    Stephen – True, it’s probably impossible for an author to ever fully stop writing, even if it’s jotting notes.

    Shannon – Thanks! I suppose it depends on the trip, but yes, vacations require a break from lots of things, including the grind of scribbling.

    J.C. – I relaxed mucho. Writing is fun on vacation, but quality time with loved ones even more so, good point.

    Rachna – Funny how brainstorming and rejuvenation go hand in hand, but I know what you mean exactly.

    Jane/Lance – You definitely much look up stuff on Hawaii, it’s a great destination. Thanks for the welcome back:)

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  21. Welcome back Mark! Hawaii is on our list of places to visit as well, as is Alaska. Of course you know that I am not a writer, wish I were, wish I were just now completing a manuscript; however, I will have to say that I am strongly influenced by scenery because I am a visual/audio person. Glad you had a great visit....and thank you for visiting us too!

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  22. Wow, sounds like you had an excellent time! I like to use vacation time purely for relaxation. If an idea comes to me naturally, then that's great. I'll quickly jot myself a note and get back to enjoying the scenery/new environment. If I specifically tell myself, "no writing," then I find that I'm chomping at the bit to get back to it. That said, I haven't been on vacation for awhile now, so I can't say I'd stick to that :)

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  23. Glad you made it back safe and sound… back to the grind.

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