Downtime is good time

Derek and I will be leaving tomorrow morning to go out of town to have a Christmas visit with my side of the family. (I will blog tomorrow morning before I leave, and will be blogging per normal on Monday morning.) I won't have Internet access while I'm gone (my left eyelid is starting to twitch just thinking about it). I'm taking my laptop with me to do a little work, but mostly I'll be spending quality time with my family.

Which brings me to the topic of today's blog: downtime is good time. It's about a 4-hour drive to my sister's house, and I'll be taking a notepad and a printout of the chapter I'm working on to write in the car. Or not. I figure if I want to work, it's there. But if I decide not to, I'll just put it back in my briefcase, because giving my brain a breather often produces the best writing of all. For me that's when inspiration strikes.

Downtime is good. Reconnecting with your loved ones is even better. Derek and I have the most wonderful talks on long car trips. And downtime is good for your brain. This is especially true for writers because downtime gives your creative mind a chance to play and recharge. And as we all know, good writing comes from a rested mind. New ideas, twists on existing ideas, and simply looking at something other than your computer screen (which is definitely a good thing, just ask your tired eyes).

On another topic: about the possible email problem (being unable to reach me on lisa@lisashearin.com) -- see yesterday's blog for the details. Webmaster Todd has altered the wording on my Contact page to the following:

You can e-mail me at lisa @ lisashearin.com. If you email and don't receive a response within a few days, please try my alternate email which is lisashearin @ gmail.com. Thanks!

We may leave it like this, or we might go with an email form like a lot of authors use. Believe me, I'd keep it very simple and user-friendly if I decided to go this route. What do you all think? Use a form or keep it the way it is but just add an alternative email if you don't get a prompt response from me? Respond to the blog and let me know your opinion.

Lisa