Emma's Musings and Meanderings

Work has been incredibly busy for me lately. I'm aware that in these uncertain times, I'm lucky to be able to say that. I work in marketing, which when you boil it down, is about how to sell stuff. My current job isn't my dream job, but it's a family business and I feel a connection and like to stay involved. Nor do I hate it by any means - for the most part I really enjoy it, it's the kind of job where I see tangible results from a project.

A couple of things have occurred to me lately though. The first is that I'm pretty stressed out. If I can't boost sales, people may lose their jobs. It's not that bad at the moment, but if things don't pick up it may be. This kind of responsibility is terrifying. Of course it is not all down to me, but I certainly play a part.

The second is that this is spilling over into my personal time. I haven't written anything in weeks, apart from a couple of posts here. I have written since I was a child. My mother used to despair because in the middle of my school copy books she would come across stories. She solved it by giving me an extra copybook - and most of the time I'd remember to use it. LOL

I write for a whole range of reasons, for fun, to clear my head, to focus myself. Mostly because I need to. Would I like to get published - of course. The harsh reality of the world makes me think the chances are slim, but maybe, someday. I won't stop writing though. It's a release. An escape, in the same way as reading or watching a good movie can be. Sometimes I'll get a scene in my head and it will be there -  like the annoying song you can't stop humming - until I write it down.

What worries me lately is that I will sit down to scribble and all of a sudden I'm writing new advertising copy, or coming up with a new special offer, or obsessing over how to make the new website better. The thing is, I know if I keep this up, I'll start to burn out.

I also miss it. An ongoing story is suffering for it. I had great momentum until a few weeks ago but now it's gone. The only downtime I'm getting really is playing on FT - and I think part of the appeal there is the competitive element!

I'm going to try to switch off this weekend. The funds aren't there for a night out, but I'm thinking movies, a good book and ice cream may help. Any and all suggestions on how to switch the brain off would be appreciated!