The Writing Life: The Balance of Work and Play
Someone had once written that being a writer was like having homework for the rest of your life; someone else had once written if you do what you love you’ll never work a day in your life. Both are true, at least for me, when it comes to writing. But that still doesn’t mean that just because I love the work I don’t like to kick back—in fact, knowing when to stop and cut loose, especially if you’re an intense writer, is one of the key factors in creating a balanced life (if you think it sounds like an excuse to party, you’re probably right, but you know how the cliché goes—all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy). Taking a break, no matter how much work you have on your plate, can often refresh you can get you going again—and in some cases, back on track if you’ve been derailed.
The New England Horror Writers sponsored a workshop on Feb. 4 at Annie’s Book Stop inWorcester,MA, and I was a presenter. I spent the weekend with fellow presenter Trisha Wooldridge and participant L’Aura Hladik, and even though I was buried under much more work than I thought I was going to get done in the two weeks ahead of me up at the Norman Mailer Writer’s Colony, I found it actually paid off—when I got to the Colony I was rested and ready to work, and in the end, got twice the work done I would have if I hadn’t cut myself a little bit of a break.
In addition, Trisha needed to check out a local eatery which she was going to review, so we got to sample some great dishes—more than she would have had she been on her own (who orders three meals for one person)? Talk about balance!
Here’s pix from that weekend (and some video of us making absinthe). It was also my birthday). Enjoy!

L’Aura Hladik, left, author of Ghosthunting New York and Ghosthunting New Jersey, enrolled as a participant. L’Aura makes fantastic cupcakes in a variety of flavors which are available for purchase here: http://www.njghs.net/exoticakes.html. She brought me something new for my birthday!

Saturday, after the workshop, we visited Loft 266 Restaurant and Bar at 266 Park Ave., Worcester, MA. Trisha was going to write a review on the establishment; I’ll say the service was terrific.
We ordered three things to try:

I eat a lot of spinach and artichoke dip—it’s a favorite when I go out—and I was impressed with this one. Many spinach/artichoke dips are just bathing in oil, and this one wasn’t—not at all. It was moist, but not oily. I’d highly recommend it.

L’Aura ordered the nachos, and the dish was just about as good as I’ve found at other places. However, we both came to the same conclusion: there just wasn’t enough cheddar cheese, and what little was there was crisped to chip form. That was our only criticism; otherwise, the salsa, guac, vegetables and everything else were fresh and delicious.

This was the most interesting on the menu, so Trisha ordered it just because it sounded so unique: Reuben Egg Rolls. Wow, just wow! They were awesome! Definitely unique. I would drive to this restaurant in Worcester just to get these. In fact, when I’m back up in the area for Rock and Shock in October, I’ll make sure to come over here and get these.
Posted on February 28, 2012, in Deep Thoughts & Fun Stuff and tagged balanced life, ghosthunting, horror writers, how to prepare absinthe, Loft 266 Worcester MA, wooldridge, work-life balance, writing life. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.
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