Escape! Take me away! Hightail it! Fly the coop! Slip away! This past week I did just that. Did you know that getting away from the everyday routine can actually be good for your health? According to the South Australian government, breaks can improve your mood and lower your stress level. And that’s something I was in need of.

ESCAPE GUILT

Do you feel guilty about taking a break? Many of us do. Some of these may sound familiar to you:

• If I work a little longer and harder, I’ll be more successful.
• I haven’t done enough to deserve a break.
• I need to be perfect; I can’t stop now.
• If I am busy, that means I am successful.

Feel free to add to this list.

ESCAPE M&M

So, I took a chance, tossed off the guilt about slipping out of the house, out of the county, out of the state, and went to the Black Rose Writing conference for their authors in Nashville, Tennessee.

The conference zeroed in on author marketing and motivation, the two things that I’m currently having difficulty with. The retreat jazzed my mind with things I want to try and ideas to publicize my upcoming book.

I realize this sounds like work, and, in a way, it was. But, you know what? As a teenager, I dreamed of owning an island and writing books. Today I live on fifty acres (my island of solitude in the madness of America), and I write books. So, how can it be work when you’re living your dream?

ESCAPE THE SETTING

Besides the M&M bonus, I discovered the extraordinary city of Nashville. I confess, the last time I was in Nashville was approximately 1970 to see a Vanderbilt football game. My brother was a freshman. The only thing I remember about the trip was—Ok. I’ll stop here. What I started to tell you sounds like TMI (Too Much Information).

My first order of business was to tour the Hermitage, Andrew Jackson’s home. After all, he is a character in the second book of my Family Threads trilogy. The goal was to understand his treatment of the Native Americans, particularly the Cherokee. The Cherokee and a faction of the Creeks helped him defeat the Creek Red Sticks during the Creek War (1813-1814). He repaid them by signing the Removal Act of 1830, forcing the Native Americans to move west of the Mississippi River. I’m still mulling over his reasoning and trying to understand it through the context of his era.

And, the Nashville music scene! I’ve never seen anything like it. Broadway sports four blocks of bars, every one offering live music. The hotel’s bartender told me that the bars open at 10 a.m. and don’t shut down until 3 a.m. the next morning. And the beauty of it is that, if you’re like me and don’t stay up late, you can get your fix of music and be in bed by 6 p.m.

My third fascination came when a group of us spent the evening at The Listening Room. Here, songwriters personally perform the songs they’ve written, explaining the inspiration for the music.

When one of the performers asked who knew about writer’s retreats, our group of authors went bananas. What fascinated me is that, today, most songs are written by more than one person, using group synergy to create a piece of art. The craft of fiction writing seldom works that way. Usually one person does the whole creation, then gives it to others who tear it up and point out issues before it’s published.

LAST THOUGHTS ON ESCAPE

While I remain calm, coming down from my high, I’m already starting to plan my next escape. I’ve got my eye set on Guntersville, Alabama, to do some research for the current WIP (work in progress).

I’d love it if you’d join me!

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