At the end of August, I was Burned Out. My energy, creative and otherwise, was depleted. I needed a break and so I decided to take a sabbatical from writing for a month. That month is approaching an end. I know this not just because the calendar tells me so, but also because the creative centers of my brain tell me so.

After weeks of nothing, my characters are once again making cameo appearances in my daily life. A hello wave from characters in The New Novel when I was swimming. A wink and a nod from the main character in my last piece of flash fiction as I was falling asleep. A postcard from a short story that I'd set aside to work on later.

It's not enough yet for me to resume my regular writing schedule, but it's a sign--a comforting one--that my creative batteries are, in fact, recharging and that my fictional friends will be ready and waiting whenever I get back to them.