My family and I just got back from an amazing 10-day vacation to Destin, Florida. It was fun to have a getaway with my wife and two boys, my parents, and my brother and his wife. My boys swam in the ocean and buried each other in the sand, we chased dolphins, and my wife spent the entire time capturing it all in pictures.
I even managed to get through the entire trip without getting a sunburn.
Admittedly, I couldn't help get in a little writing from time to time while we were gone – not too much, but just enough to help me keep my creative juices flowing and reflect on a few things. Here are 5 things I learned and observed as a writer on summer vacation.
It's good to take a break – Short of going to Galveston for a long weekend, our boys had never spent significant time at the beach. It was fun to see their reaction and simply spend time as a family. Speaking as someone who works A LOT, the break did wonders to recharge my batteries.
I really can write from anywhere – I love that I can get work done from anywhere, but I finally got the chance to experience it while on an extended vacation. Whether it was at the beach house, under an oversized umbrella with my toes buried in the sand, or in the car on our long drive (yes, we drove) to Florida, I was able to make the most of what little downtime we had outside of family time.
Clients are genuinely happy for you – As a business owner, it can be difficult just to drop everything and take some time off. What I found, though, is that you're not inconveniencing anyone. Everyone was genuinely happy for me to have time away, and they wanted to hear all the quirky stories when I got back.
My Dad wants me to write about him – There were several times during our trip when my dad asked point blank when I was going to write about him. It started off as, "Hey, what are you writing about?" and became "So, um, when are you going to write about me?" Here you go, Dad. You're finally on my blog!
Writing about my family is still fun – There are so many things I get to write about at Edit This®, whether it be articles on local business owners, website content, press releases, a game at a local high school, or helping someone put the finishing touches on their first novel. I love being a storyteller, and there's no better story to write about than the escapades of my family. This vacation gave me more than enough opportunity to do that. If you'd like to read more about the Gamels, check out my blog series, Gamel Funny Farm. You can read Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3, and Vol. 4. There will be more in the future, so be sure to check them out.
Thanks for reading!
*STEVE GAMEL is the President & Owner of Edit This, LLC, a writing and editing services company located in Denton, TX. Steve handles anything involving the written word. Give him a call today to help give your business a clear voice.