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Vacation and Writing

kinslayeur

Scribe
So I was planning a week long vacation with my family and my plan was to write each day before going down for breakfast and again after we had arrived back at the hotel and my son was crashed for the night.

That was the plan.

Now for what really happened.

Day 1 (my wife and I arrived a day earlier than everyone else): Checking in was fun as they had to move us three times due to a fire alarm that just wouldn't shut up. I swear the thing was a ghost haunting me. The upside? We ended up with a king size bed and Jacuzzi for that night. I was able to write about 3000 words and felt positive that my plan was going to work.

Day 2: Breakfast and waiting for them to arrive, had to check out of the one room and into yet another room for some reason I never found out. Whatever. Family arrived and immediately things went from this is interesting to oh what the $!$% as I had forgotten that my family doesn't do things very typical. Total words written that day? 0.

Day 3: We go to an amusement park and I knew today was going to be a tough one simply because my family likes to get there when it opens and leave when it closes. I hoped this would be different, but I was wrong. Get back and think we are going to relax and just do whatever for dinner? WRONG again. It was out to a specific restaurant followed by mini-golf. Back to the hotel about 11pm. Total words written that day? 0 again.

Day 4: My father announces it is "do whatever you want day" but fails to mention as long as it's one of these three things: Titanic Museum, going to a show, or go-karts/mini golf. So I went for the Museum and it was cool. Then son, wanted to play mini-golf some more. After getting rained out for 3 hours (I hoped we would just go back to the hotel which I would then write... nope) we played 4 rounds of mini-golf. With eight people.... one round takes about an hour. Get back to the hotel totally spent. Total words written that day? 0 for the third round.

Day 5: I got words in! Yes!!!! I was able to write 800 words before being rushed out of the hotel for a fire alarm that wasn't just in my room this time. After that fun, we packed up and headed back to our respective homes. Left at 9am - back home at 7pm. Tired, and just ready to sleep. Total words written that day? 800!

So in all, I was hoping to write 1000 words a day in the morning and evening for a total of 10k words. I wrote a total of about 3800. I have yet to turn the laptop back on in fear I won't like any of what I wrote.

Don't try to write on vacation. Or if you do, I hope it's a writing vacation. Not the kind I just had.
 

kinslayeur

Scribe
I haven't had a vacation in three years so I do enjoy them when I get them. Just didn't think I'd not get any writing done.
 

ThinkerX

Myth Weaver
My last vacation was when I took the daughter to Disneyland - in 2011. One week. I have not had more than two consecutive days off since then.
 

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
I'm a big believer in the maxim, do what you are doing. If it's a family vacation, do that. As you found out, trying to do another thing--especially a thing that is fundamentally at odds (solitary vs family)--is not likely to succeed and you wind up not fully enjoying either.
 

Russ

Istar
Every vacation is different, and a big family vacation is a tough one to write on.

Personally I get a ton of writing done on vacation. My wife is a writer and she likes her writing time, and I am away from the million distractions of both home and the office.

I think we both banged out about 1500 words a day around the pool at the Atlantis last year which we were both pleased with.

But I gotta tell you...I do love mini-golf.
 

kinslayeur

Scribe
Oh I love mini golf too. I didn't expect EVERYONE else to suddenly want to play too! Last time I went was three years ago and only 4 of us out of 11 wanted to play. So we were able to get through the courses pretty quickly. I told my wife that the next vacation I take will be a writing vacation.
 
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