Last night, following the final game of the Stanley Cup championships, which we lost, an immediate riot broke out. Even before the game ended, (Bruins beat the Canucks 4 to 0), fights were popping up. In the minutes following, cars were being overturned, fires lit, and store windows smashed. Possibly the most humiliating thing I’ve watched on local TV was the footage of dozens of people charging into devastated downtown businesses and grabbing armfuls of merchandise.

My husband works downtown, and he was forced to walk home at midnight because transit wasn’t running through the rioting city center. I was home with the babies, trying not to go out of my mind.

There were obvious criminals in the mix, the ones who were shattering windows at the bank, tearing apart a construction site, and pulling knives. There are always criminals, wherever you go. Sadly. Today, there was even talk of this being an organized event by a small number of anarchists who wanted only to spark chaos. They did.

But the people I am most ashamed of are the ordinary citizens who got carried away. The ones who got up to go to work this morning. The ones I saw in Starbucks today. The ones who drank too much. The ones who know better. There will be law-breakers in any society, especially a big city like ours. This does not mean we can start acting like animals, with no regard for safety, public spaces, beauty, property, or simple dignity.

What I saw happening live in my city last night was the opposite of dignity.

It was arrogance.

We came together in anger, in protest, not because of a repressive government. Not because any one group was being prosecuted, or treated unfairly. Not for any of the terrible, truly horrifying injustices many other countries face.

It was because we lost a hockey game.

That is unbelievably insulting to anyone who has a real reason to get angry.

I, and many other Vancouverites, believe that this group of instigators would have acted regardless of the outcome of the game. It was an excuse. Unfortunately, these anti-social radicals have stained this city’s reputation. The vast majority of Vancouverites were watching the chaos from their homes, humiliated and in shock. This is not Vancouver. This is not representative of the people who live, work, create, and raise families here.

Today, the cleanup starts. Buildings will be repaired. Remains of charred cars will be removed. Financial losses will be tallied. My husband is safe. But it will take a long, long time for Vancouver to recover, both in the way we are viewed by the rest of the world and in the way we view ourselves.

I know that I echo the sentiments of nearly everyone here in Vancouver when I say that we are proud of the Canucks, we are happy for the Bruins, and we are as outraged at the violence that erupted post-game as the rest of the world.

It’s ok to take a break from writing.

OMG! Doesn’t she know about momentum? Sounds like an excuse. She must not be a true writer. I’d sooner pluck out my eyelashes…

I’ve heard all of these. Well, maybe not the last one. But, you know, if the thought of a writing break makes you hyperventilate, don’t do it! It’s a tough choice to decide to put your creations on hold, but I believe that sometimes life has to take priority. Yes, even for true writers.

My priority was the birth of my second son. He’s now nearly two months old, big, happy, and healthy. In between diapers, playdates, and naps, I’ve been able to steal a few minutes here and there to brainstorm and map out my next project. But no actual writing.

Back when I made the decision to take a break, I was frustrated to have to put things on hold, not wanting to loose steam. But you know what? My steam power is running at full capacity now that I have come back to the work with fresh eyes. I plan to get back to my old routine as soon as possible: an hour every night before bed. It doesn’t seem like much, but it’s amazing what can be accomplished with one focused hour a day.

My hiatus was a very conscious decision. I wanted to pay full attention to the very important non-writing work I was doing. (Plus, you can’t write when your eyelids won’t lift.) But it’s amazing how refreshed I feel. I am so ready to jump right back in. And think of all the real life moments I can draw from now.

If I never have another child, this will be the last time I experience carrying a baby. I don’t want to miss that. And publishing will be here when I am ready to come back–no matter how many ‘Publishing is Dead’ headlines get posted.

            I can see how this sounds like a big rant of an excuse, but I’ll stand by it. Being away from writing, being actively involved in life, has only made me a stronger writer. Of course, now it’s time to buckle down again. Get my hands on the keyboard. Meet those daily word counts. And I can’t wait to do just that!

            So, what do you think? Keep truckin’ mo matter what? Or, take the occasional break to have a life experience?

To my amazement, Mr. Eagan actually did critique her sample! What a gentleman!

But this commenter got even more than that.

An anonymous commenter critiqued the sample as well. Anonymous dove right into the inaccuracies in Brave Writer’s piece: problems with the setting, medical procedure technicalities, waiting room occupants’ reactions, doctors’ protocols, and so on. Anonymous’s background for his/her strong critique was that Anon had been in a hospital waiting room many times. My heart goes out to Anon, what a terrible place to have to frequent. And at first when I read Anon’s critique, I have to admit, I was glad someone with real experience was chiming in to get the details straight. I found myself hoping that Brave Writer would take Anon’s real experiences to heart and alter her scene.

But then Brave Writer came back with her own comment. This scene was written the morning after her husband was flown to a hospital for emergency surgery! It is a near exact account of Brave’s own experience in the waiting room!

Now I feel like a jerk for judging Brave’s sample the way I did. It is so important to remember that each writer, each artist, is coming at their work from an incredibly unique place. Two very similar circumstances can be experienced in vastly different ways.

Yes, facts need to be accurate. Research needs to be done. But beyond that, the range of perspective is infinite. I guess it’s human tendency to relate everything to ourselves. If some detail is not in line with our own thoughts about a topic, or if a character’s reaction is not our own, it is so easy to dismiss the work as sloppy writing.

I’ve learned my lesson. I’m sorry, Brave, for making snap judgements about your hard work. And I’m sorry for the hard experience you had to go through to write your piece.