I have just one more week of class and then I get the luxury of a two week holiday break. I’m ecstatic. I feel like I’ve been running in overdrive for several months now, balancing work, school, NaNoWriMo, side projects and, most importantly, my family and friends. It will be nice to finally step away from the world of academia for a spell [though only briefly] and just relax and unwind.

I’ve been meaning to sit down and commit some time to flash fiction and poetry again, as most of the projects I’ve been working on have been large, full-length pieces. While these are very rewarding and have more opportunity for bigger success long term, the time commitment necessary to finish them results in several months with little or nothing to show for my work. No publications, no awards. Just the satisfaction of knowing that I am working towards a goal. So I’ve decided to take a two week hiatus from some of my larger pieces during the intermission from school and throw myself back into instant gratification mode, producing one or two new poems or stories per day so I can store them away and use them as opportunities come up in the Spring.

It is probably a healthy decision to take a break from my novel, as I’ve been so entrenched in the story that the editing has become unbearable. The words bleed together and I often find my finger hovering over the delete-key, trembling to just scrap an entire paragraph [or chapter!] before I’ve even finished reading over it. The same goes with my science fiction script. It has been painful to write and even more grueling to edit, so a vacation from both of these projects is both welcomed and probably safest for their well-being. That little trashcan on my dock seems more and more inviting as I continue to work on those little buggers.

So, one last week of Children’s Entertainment and I get to enjoy fourteen days of flash fiction and poetry, of reading novels instead of textbooks, and of breaking free of deadlines and due dates. Perhaps I’ll even slip a few glasses of heavily spiked eggnog in there, too. Feeling a little crazy!

Optimistic for a great holiday break,
~ Victoria Elizabeth Ann