Sometimes the best thing a writer can do is not write. There are going to be times when our brains are fried, our
imaginations are dried up, and our lives are demanding we put non-writing
priorities first.
In these situations, is it ever acceptable to just surrender
and throw down the pen for a while? My answer is absolutely. In fact, sometimes
it’s wise to deliberately plan to stop writing. Let’s consider a
few instances in which not writing is not only acceptable but important.
1. To let a story breathe
By the time we finish writing a novel, our objectivity will
have packed its bags and headed to Rio. We can edit the darn thing until we’re
blue in the face, but we’re not likely to really
see what’s wrong with it until we’re able to put a little distance between
ourselves this story we’ve grown to love (or, perhaps, hate).
Once I finish a first draft, I edit the manuscript three
times to correct obvious typos and continuity errors. Then I set it aside for as much as a
year. I don’t look at it; I don’t think about it. I just wait until my gut
starts telling me my objectivity has boarded its return flight back from vacation.
2. To work on a different project
We may have any number of good reasons to stop writing a
particular book and focus on something else. This something else might be
another story, a non-fiction book, or something totally unrelated to writing:
painting, crocheting, playing football, having a baby, you name it.
If you’re lucky enough to be interested and talented in
other art forms, you can alternate between projects to keep yourself fresh and
interested in both. In his article “The 20-story summer” in the May 2013 issue
of The Writer, Eric D. Lehman calls this “feeding the brain machine so I could
go back to the big project with new insights and abilities.”
3. To schedule a regular day off
You take a day off from work every week, so why not writing?
I write six days out of the week, but I always schedule one day off out of
every week and hold to it adamantly. When my writing isn’t going so great, this
day is a reward. But even when my writing is sailing along splendidly, this regular day
off allows me to recharge my batteries, stave off burnout, and apply time to non-writing activities and chores.
4. To take an enforced vacation
Your brain is like a rubber band. Stretch it too hard for
too long, and it’ll either snap or end up so limp it won’t hold anything
together. When you feel burnout approaching, do yourself and your writing a
favor and take a break.
After finishing a manuscript, I always have to give myself
at least a few months to recuperate before diving into the next project. This
period isn’t a vacation in the strictest sense, since I’m still showing up at
my desk to work on marketing and perhaps the editing of other projects.
But there are other times when a total vacation is required.
Unplug your Internet for a week or two, step away from the computer, and pamper
yourself with ice cream, movie marathons, lots of walks, and lots of reading.
You’ll return to your writing refreshed and re-energized.
5. To walk away from writing for a time
So far, the break periods we’ve discussed have been
relatively brief. But what about taking a serious break from writing? What
about stopping for months or even
years? This, of course, is a whole ’nother ballgame. If you’re even considering
this, then you are either losing interest in your writing or you’re facing
major changes in your life. Both are legitimate reasons to make the decision to step away
from your writing for a time.
Sometimes, for whatever reason, we just won’t be able to
make our writing work at certain periods in our life. Squeezing it in even when
it’s difficult is the road most of us will take—and we’ll likely be rewarded for our
tenacity in doing so. But sometimes life has other plans. If writing isn’t what
you want to (or can) do right now, don’t be afraid to set it aside for a while. This
doesn’t mean you’re not a writer, and it doesn’t mean you’ll never come back to
your writing. A decision like this should never be made lightly, but, in some
situations, it may be the best thing you can do for both yourself and all the
stories you will write in the future.
Writers write. But sometimes, when they have good reasons
for doing so, writers don’t write. If you need to take a break—long or short—to
let a story breathe or to let yourself
breathe, then don’t hesitate to do so. Writing is an inherently instinctive and
organic process. If your gut is telling you a break is just what the book
doctor ordered, then go for it. Otherwise, get back to your desk and start
hammering those keys!
Tell me your opinion: Have you ever decided to take a break from writing?
Related Posts: Making the Time to Write
Maintaining Your Enthusiasm Until the Book Is Completed
10 Excuses for Not Writing—and How to Smash Them
_________________
Click the “Play” button to Listen to Audio Version (or subscribe to the Wordplay podcast in iTunes).
Tell me your opinion: Have you ever decided to take a break from writing?
Related Posts: Making the Time to Write
Maintaining Your Enthusiasm Until the Book Is Completed
10 Excuses for Not Writing—and How to Smash Them
_________________
Click the “Play” button to Listen to Audio Version (or subscribe to the Wordplay podcast in iTunes).
- May 19, 2013
22 Comments
- K.M. Weiland
- Posted in Feature , Writing Life , writing process
