A Breath

A novel's halfway mark is dangerous territory for a writer. At once, your characters must be closer than they've ever been, yet situationally polar from where the story will end. It's also a place filled with plot quicksands, subplots dangling like snapping vines and the realization that in this marathon that is a novel, you're winded and you're not even close.

I'll be "unplugged" for four days. As tempting as it was to pack my laptop for my half-week vacation, I realize that I can't have a hope of capturing life on the page if I don't step out once in a while and experience it. It's the balance that opens us up to new things.

Take care of yourself and the people you love this week.