Back in the Zone

It’s good to be back.

I didn’t miss much writing during the two weeks I was going through this thing called a spring/summer cold. I missed two entire weeks in the studio because of it, but only one regular day of writing. It was all I could do to keep up the Daily Writing Exercise on a few of those days and on a couple of them, I sat at the computer for what seemed like hours trying to think of something to write. It got to the point a time or two at which I said, “Lord, if You want me to write something, You’re going to have to put it in my head” because there was nothing there.

I got back to painting again on Monday, June 1 and have had two good painting sessions since then. I wouldn’t say I was quite back into The Zone with painting, yet, but it’s getting real close! I can almost taste it. Ah, it was good to smell the morning paint again and to see those horses come to life….

Writing is chugging along, too. I’ve changed my tactics a tiny bit this week. I raised the stakes for each day by increasing the minimum daily requirement for words written (fiction only; my journals and blogs don’t count!) from 700 words to 1,000. That small increase doesn’t seem like it should be too much strain, but only time will tell.

This morning, I was able to bypass the morning nap made necessary by that lingering cold and consequently got some painting and writing done. The writing went very well. Over 700 words!

Mornings do seem like the more productive time for me, whether I’m at the computer writing or at the easel painting. I suppose it could be because I have the house to myself for a couple of hours between the time Neal goes to work and the time I have to go work. Solitude has a way of prompting that sort of productivity.

Although, to be honest, when I get in The Zone, everything else ceases to exist. I lose large segments of time, I don’t hear very well, I don’t bother to eat or do anything else of that nature. I’ve heard of other artists and writers having that sort of creative tunnel vision, so I’m not surprised by it. In fact, it’s almost like worship or meditation. Something has to be bothering me quite a bit before it intrudes into The Zone.

So, even as annoying as it can often be to others, it is a comfort and a form of escape for me. One of those things that makes writing and painting a blessing whether anything actually ever comes of the effort or not.