Recharging Your Writer Brain

A few weeks ago, the very awesome Agent Jessica Sinsheimer posted the following on Twitter:

I think this is a really important lesson. Love crafts? Make crafts! (I have been...) You can see her creations here: http://t.co/myje8ocDQ6
— Jessica Sinsheimer (@jsinsheim) July 21, 2014

In other words: Yes, you're a writer. But you're allowed to love other creative projects, too. Following inspiration is NOT a waste of time.
— Jessica Sinsheimer (@jsinsheim) July 21, 2014

I sometimes think of our creative selves as soil. Sometimes you just need some crop rotation. @stampepk
— Jessica Sinsheimer (@jsinsheim) July 21, 2014

I love the idea of creative crop rotation. Such a great way to look at it.

There are many times when I come home from work and feel too brain dead to make a simple dinner, much less write for an hour or to reach a 1000-word goal. But I start to go a little crazy--okay, a little crazier than usual--if I don't have a creative outlet. Besides, I have my suspicions that writing actually kills the sane brain cells and causes the crazy ones to multiply. Rapidly. ;)

To rebuild some of those sane brain cells, sometimes I'll sew or crochet. And I love to make things with Photoshop and Excel. Yes, I said Excel. Numbers, colors, and conditional formatting? What's not to love? Plus, it's one of those things that, like writing, I don't think I could ever really learn completely, so I'll never get bored with it. 

So what about you? What do you do to recharge your writer brain? Any crafts or nerdy programs you enjoy? 

We Interrupt This Writing Session to Bring You.....CAKE!!!

All right, I must confess.....I'm am fairly burned out on all things writing related at the moment :-) I've been on a non-stop roller coaster since last year and while it has been an amazing ride, I'm very ready for a nice break. (I'm also aware this will last approximately a day and a half before I start itching to write something again, but with a book due tomorrow and another releasing next month, right now all I want is a nap lol)

Anyhow, I thought I'd share a few pics of something else I like to do. Decorating cakes :D I don't get to do this very often - my husband doesn't like cake (I know, he's totally weird) so I pretty much only make them twice a year for my kids' birthdays. But here are a few I've made.

My son's 6th birthday:

Son's 9th birthday

Son's 5th birthday 

Son's 8th birthday

Stepson's girlfriend's birthday :)

Kids' Spring Parties at school

 Daughter's 8th birthday (and the nail polish bottles in the background are marshmallow and tootsie rolls) :D

Daughter's friend's 10th birthday

And now, back into the writing cave I go :-) Tomorrow, I'll send this baby to my editor and then...I think I might make a celebratory cake :-D

When You Need a New Hobby

Writing used to be a hobby. Now I've realized I need a new one.

Not that I mean to stop writing -- I don't. But writing fiction has changed for me. It's not something I do as a form of escapism from real life, or something that relieves stress and angst. It IS my real life. And it's often a source of stress and angst. I don't think the change came from being published -- it comes from focusing on becoming (and staying) published.

I don't make a living from writing fiction -- not by a long shot. Still, I have acknowledged myself as a writer and it's part of my public persona, but more importantly, it's too big a part of my private identity. It's no longer a no-stakes endeavor. The emotional stakes are high.

So now I need a hobby as relief from my hobby. Before I had children, I used to garden and still do, but my schedule doesn't give me free time during prime gardening hours. It's hard to prune roses at 9:30 p.m.

So I've returned to childhood pursuit that fell by the wayside -- drawing. I was a serious art student in high school, but now I find myself shockingly rusty. Still, it's fun for now. I'm actually trying my hand at illustrating my own stories, just pencil, ink, and brush pen. I'm strictly unprofessional and hope to stay that way -- if I start angsting about developing an illustration career, I'll be back scrambling for another hobby.

Is writing a hobby for you, or is it more? When did it change? What other personal pursuits do you have, and how do they interact with your writing?