Dear Wigleaf,
 
I'm not supposed to be writing this.
 
Really.
 
I'm supposed to be on a writing "break."
 
The idea (supposedly) was that I'd stop writing, revising, editing, tinkering, taking notes. Also: I'd refrain from submitting stories and neurotically checking submission statuses. Too: I wouldn't spend so much time checking out blogs, websites, Facebook, etc.
 
Why a "break"? I wanted to, as they say, focus on other areas of my life. For a while. A month. Maybe two. Then I'd come back reenergized and ready to rock.
 
So how's the "break" going then?
 
Well, I'm writing this postcard, aren't I?
 
What I'm finding is that it's difficult to step away, even for a brief period of time. I'm discovering that writing is so much a part of my day-to-day existence that it's a little difficult to go, you know, cold turkey. I'm thinking of this George Orwell quote a lot: "Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand."
 
True, it seems like I can't resist. And often times I don't understand.
 
OK, better get back to my "break." Thanks for listening. You're a true pal.
 
All best,
 
Andy






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Read AR's "The One You Don't Pick."

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