I've been playing hooky from serious writing this week. I need to make some plot decisions, but I was also starting to stress out a little too much. Normally, writing is fun. I love it.

When it stopped being fun, I decided to take a few days off from my manuscript. I read a couple of novels from my TBR pile, checked out episodes from a few shows I've heard about, and mostly ignored my MS.

That's not to say I'm not thinking about it. I am. A lot. And my next story, too. I just needed to take a break and quit associating my book with the negative feelings I was starting to have.

I also decided to simplify a bit. A year ago when I started writing, I didn't belong to RWA (no email loops, online courses, or volunteer duties), didn't subscribe to writing magazines or read blogs, or have my own blog. In essence I knew nothing of the industry. I had endless hours to write, and I wrote without self-imposed goals or deadlines, just for the pure joy of it.

Ah, ignorance is bliss.

Speaking of ignorance, it occurred to me recently that I'm spending too much time on the industry side of publishing now and it's sapping my creative juices. So, I made some cuts. Unnecessary blogs, unnecessary emails, gone.

And, while I'm still reading craft books, I'm cutting back so my mind doesn't get too cluttered while in the midst of writing.

I can breathe better already. Playing hooky is good for the soul sometimes. Better now than when (fingers crossed) I have real deadlines.

How about you? Do you ever play hooky?