Take a break. . .
Recently, I walked away from writing for a short while. It was summertime and we had visitors and then we took a trip and then there were more visitors. During those times I did not write. Not a word. Understandable right? With all that was going on, there wasn’t time and I didn’t feel guilty. The time I took away in the ‘real’ world was important, to those who came from far away to see me and to those I hopped on a plane to visit.
When life got back to normal again, I opened my laptop and reread some things I had written before my break. I made a few changes and jotted down some notes. I eased myself back in and wrote a couple lines that were absolutely terrible. I read them aloud then hit delete and started again. By the second day I was back in the flow. I reread what I had written before the break and tweaked again. I felt the tide of creativity rising. I was back!
I have taken breaks before. When I finished my first manuscript I gave myself a chance to relish in that accomplishment. I needed to step away and let my story marinate in my subconscious. After over three months of not writing anything, or thinking about my manuscript, I reread it. I looked at my manuscript with new eyes, refreshed eyes and began the editing process.
Another break I took was in response to a feeling of burn-out. I was in a critique group expected to produce new material for each meeting. In addition, were the pages I was expected to read and critique for the other members of the group. I was diligent, worked hard to meet my obligations, learned some things along the way but, when the allotment of sessions was over – I took a break. Read a couple novels for fun and didn’t allow myself to think about my current writing project one little bit. When I’d catch my mind wandering in that direction, I’d remind myself that it’s break time. THINK ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE.
Sometimes I need to take a break when I’m stuck on a plot point or at odds with a character. Walking away for a few days or a week can dislodge that stuck place and allow creativity to flow once again. Whenever I have purposely taken a break from writing I have witnessed the benefits in my mindset and my writing.
Listen to that inner voice. Give yourself a break that allows your whirling mind to rest. You and your writing will benefit. But don’t let that time away become a new habit. Give yourself a flexible break deadline. By this date, six weeks from now, I am going to start writing again, for example. Put a reminder of your deadline in your phone. “Your laptop is lonely”. Make the reminder something that will cause you to smile. Then do it, start writing again and see what happens. Something always happens!