Recently, I jumped at the opportunity to accompany my husband on a business trip to Las Vegas. In the past I’ve packed a backpack full of scrap booking supplies to work on while he attends meetings. (Yes, airport security will make you retrieve your scissors to measure the blade.) This year however, I only took a flashdrive with my WIP and a laptop. I imagined eight straight hours of uninterrupted writing bliss. On a good day at home, I get an hour and on rare occasions two. So the solitude of a hotel room without a washer and dryer to beckon me, or piles of dirty dishes calling my name, or even children asking when we’re gonna eat was quite appealing.
I kissed my husband goodbye the first morning and eagerly turned on the laptop. After two hours of solid editing, I scanned the room for a distraction. Apparently, I have an internal work clock that tells my brain to shut off after two hours of uninterrupted work. It took great intestinal fortitude not to dive into the king-sized bed for a nap. (We arrived at 10 PM the night before and didn’t go to bed until 2 AM. Hey, we were in Vegas…on vacation…without the children…and no sitter to hurry home to! And who can tell what time it is anyway with all the lights.)
I eventually refocused and completed 80 pages of editing during my day and half of solitary writing time. If I get 10 pages a day done at home, I’m happy. So a day and a half in Vegas paid off in eight days worth of editing. I think I like that math.
