A different kind of vacation break

The bell would ring and everyone in the school would rise as one, breaking out into cheers, laughs and sighs of relief. A teacher or two would be in the hall trying to keep some kind of peace and calm, yelling for us walk and not to become crazy men and women, but most threw up their hands in surrender. They were tired too — another school year was over. 

I ran out of my elementary school to my bus at the end of the school year full of excitement. My bag was filled with my final report card, graded tests, and handouts that had collected at the bottom of my desk. I can’t say the feeling of excitement was as strong as Christmas Eve, but it was a close second. I found school tough, I seemed to have to work harder than everyone else just to keep pace, and it was always great to be granted a Monopoly game “Get out of Jail Free Card.”

Oh, I would be bored in a few days, whining to my mother that my brothers, who watched me during the summer days, wanted nothing to do with me or that I had nothing to do to keep me busy, but those first few days felt the best. They recharged my brain. They gave me the break I needed to get my mind right for the start of another school year.  

It’s a different kind of break, but I’m taking a couple weeks off from Writing from the Heart with Brian. I’ve kept a regular pace over the past couple of years, but I want to take a step back and recharge, figure out what new direction I want to take the blog. 

Should I write shorter? Longer? What stories work, what stories don’t? Should I focus on a theme, parenting for example, or memoir stories or continue to write whatever hits me? I originally started the blog because I wanted a place to focus on my fiction and the stories floating in my head. I’ve gotten away from that. I’ve found the blog too much fun, but, I wonder about returning to my original mission.

I wonder too about working more to promote the blog via social media? I’ve never been one to focus heavily on hit counts and popularity. Heck, I’m surprised anytime someone stumbles across my blog and I’m always grateful when I see that others half way across the world have opted to spend a little bit of their valuable time with me. I really do appreciate it! I still can’t get rid of the idea that I should focus a little less on content and more time on marketing.

With all those questions floating in my head, can you tell that I’m driven by my creativity?

In any event, I haven’t set up a definitive schedule, but I’m planning to take a break and get back at it in a few weeks. In the meantime, I’d love to hear what you like, don’t like, or even where you’d like to see me take the blog. You know the drill.

I’m excited for the mini vacation break, but I can tell you right now, you won’t catch me running down any halls, yelling and screaming like a crazy man. I’ve passed that stage in my life. Plus, my friends and regular readers already know that I’m crazy. We’ll talk soon.