The COVID-19 social distancing environment has had a severe impact on my interaction with others. Don't get me wrong; I am not complaining. After all, I am an introvert. While I don't mind interacting with others, those interactions must have a purpose, and even then, I find that my energy level is almost depleted once it's over.
So, when I planned a mini summer vacation to an isolated ranch, I was so excited about further distancing myself from the general population (believe or not) and the material I would be able to churn out over the course of that week. I had several stories, screenplays, and a teleplay I needed to plot out, surely I'd be able to get that done and more. What I found, however, is that the isolation was a bit too much. The pressure that I placed on myself to fill every minute of the day writing or thinking about writing was unreasonable, resulting in getting much less done than I had hoped.
The silver lining of it all is that I was able to relax in a beautiful, peaceful environment. In the end, I am sure I achieved exactly what I was supposed to--I made significant progress on both my novel and the teleplay I am writing as part of a television writing course I am taking this summer.
Most importantly, though, I completed a marathon viewing of the Walking Dead! I have two words--AWE SOME. I don't know what took me so long to watch the show, but I did enjoy being able to do so without having to wait for the next season.
I have been thinking about looking into a writer's retreat for my next vacation or maybe even going to a film festival (where I plan to try one of those pitch contests for practice). I'll write all about it in future posts, as well as the television writing course I am taking. Maybe my research can be a resource for you on your writing journey.
Until next time, enjoy this video of pictures I took at the ranch! Can you spot Cupcake, the camel?
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