5 Ways To Take A Writing Break Without Quitting

Ever try to take a break and had someone tell you, “If you don’t do it now, you never will?” (I have!)

There is some truth to this statement: we’ve probably all put things off and then never gotten around to them.

But the flip side is that sometimes we just need a break. For some reason or another we just can’t do it now.

Everyone operates a bit differently but I see two main reasons why we need to take breaks from our writing from time to time.

One reason to take a break is because our project can demand it.

Ever heard how we should take a step back and give our writing a rest after completing a rough draft? (Or any draft?) It’s an important aspect in gaining a bit of perspective and letting ourselves think of things in new ways. When we’re immersed in our own words it can be hard to see the novel in a way that allows us to do our best work.

Taking a break is an important part of the creative process.

It may be tempting to barrel on through and move that first draft further along to publication all in one go. But trust me and the many others who preach the same message: somewhere along the way you need to take a break. Lock it away.

Whether you take two weeks or two months away from your project, the time will help make your draft better in the long run.

 

Another reason to take a break is that sometimes our life can demand it.

The truth is: we don’t do anyone any favors if we burn ourselves out.

Life can be overwhelming, whether it’s work, health, children, travel- there are a million things that can rise up to make our writing difficult to manage. Frequently I think it’s important to carve out our writing time despite the business (check out 3 Truths for Writers who are Busy Busy Busy) but it’s important to be aware of our personal boundaries.

There is a fine line between busy and productive vs. busy, burning out, and overwhelmed. Let’s try not to cross it.

I was in that overwhelmed place just a bit over a month ago. Both my girls and my husband had a nasty cold and I felt like I was running myself ragged trying to cuddle my feverish baby with her pitiful crying, keep the household running,  and get everyone eating real food again. It was two weeks of barely sleeping or showering.

So yeah, not much writing happened on my end, and what did happen wasn’t very good.

My writing was pushed to the back burner for those two weeks. It was important to let my writing go for a time: I probably would have gotten sick myself if I’d forced it to happen.

But that didn’t mean I was giving my writing up or that I wouldn’t return to it. Once the household was reasonably healthy again, I got back to my projects.

Let’s not lie to ourselves and take breaks when we don’t need to. (I have tendencies to be lazy so I’m talking to myself here!)

But let’s set ourselves up well so that when we do take breaks they won’t turn into forgotten projects that are abandoned.

Here are some steps I’ve found useful in keeping on track to return to our writing after a break with just as much (or more!) enthusiasm as before.

How To Take A Break From Our Writing

1. Have a Defined Timeline

This applies mostly to when we need to step back from our writing to give it a chance to breath for a bit. (Unfortunately sicknesses and life’s craziness don’t *always* adhere nicely to our schedules- though if you’re able to plan things out then by all means do so!)

Having a defined date we plan to return to our novel keeps us from getting suckered in by the procrastination and business monsters.

Whether you write the date on your calendar or put a reminder on your phone, find what works for you.

I usually plan on taking at least a month away from my first draft before looking at it again, sometimes more depending on what other things I have going on at the time. Month to month chunks are good visuals for me when I plan out my projects but again, find what works for you.

Setting a deadline for our break keeps us aware of time passing and keeps us from forgetting about our writing.

If unexpected complications come up these deadlines can always be adjusted, the important bit is that we don’t let days slide into weeks and years before picking our writing back up again.

2. Accountability

The word accountability has a bit of a bad rap sometimes, like we’re picturing stern and scowling teachers who are trying to get us in trouble or tell us what to do.

In reality accountability can be one of our greatest strengths as writers.

Writing is often a very solitary activity. But there is great value in having connections and community with others.

By connecting with others, instead of having all of our goals be self driven now there is an added audience for us to answer to. This is huge. (Especially for a people pleaser like myself!)

This can keep us from neglecting our writing.

Because ideally, these are people who will ask us about our novel and how we’re doing on that draft. I don’t know about you, but I always like to have something positive to report!

Whether you chat monthly with fellow writers, belong to a writers group online, or update your mom on your writing progress every weekend- find your people! They don’t even need to be writers themselves (though that is often helpful at times!), the key is that these are people who will support and encourage you in your own creative projects.

I know it can be hard to find people to share your writing with at times but don’t discount this. It’s worth the work.

It can also be hard to share our writing with others and to be vulnerable in asking for help. I am terrible at asking for help. But again, it’s worth the work.

By having someone else aware of our writing goals we have now given ourselves added external motivation to remain committed to them.

3. Keeping Healthy Habits

Depending on the nature of our break (like if you’re letting a rough draft rest for a bit before looking at it again) it can be helpful to continue to keep a similar schedule despite the time off from our writing.

For example: If you typically write for half an hour first thing every morning but you are taking a break from your writing, it may be helpful to use that half hour for a different specific task. This keeps your habits in place making it simple to resume writing at the end of your break.

Now I haven’t always followed this advice. I’ve taken breaks from my writing at times and promptly become extremely inefficient in how I used my free time. This has made it extremely difficult for me to regain my writing habits at the end of the break because I need to retrain myself to use my time well.

Now I’m not saying you can’t ever take some time to laze about. I love lazing about O:-)

We just need to be careful about it.

And again, everyone’s habits are different. I find my writing habits change depending on the season, various other activities, and my children’s sleep schedules. So my writing times are constantly changing.

It’s okay if the times you use for writing change. I’m not here to impose a militaristic time schedule on us all. Instead we should just be aware of how we’re using our time (even when not writing) and encourage productivity across all of our various interests.

Pro tip: One way to keep writing habits in place while taking a break from a recently completed draft is to replace it with another writing project. Then we can set aside our current draft and let it rest while using our writing time to brainstorm new ideas. Just be careful you don’t let the new project carry you away forever!

4. Remember Why You Started

Do you remember why you started your current writing project? What it was the caught your interest and got you all excited? What made you want to start writing in the first place?

Sometimes amidst the scribbled out outlines, the patchy first draft, and the never ending edits, it can be hard to keep hold of that enthusiasm. It can be easy to think of writing as nothing but work. It can be easy to be discouraged.

This mindset can make it easy to give up and essentially ghost on our project.

Let’s not give up.

Instead let’s think of that initial vision you had for this work. Let’s be reminded of the “aha!” moments and brilliant one-liners our sidekick delivers.

There is a reason we write.

I’d encourage you to write this out, freewrite a page just for yourself. And then it will be there waiting for you when you’d rather not be writing. When you’re tempted to let one week away from your work slip into three and four.

Writing is work. But in the end we have a vision, a dream to share. We are creating something from ourselves that is wonderful and new.

5. Plan For Return

This is essentially what this whole post is about- planning how to take a break in a healthy way.

But breaking it down a bit more, this is how we can make a plan for our return to writing. Once our break is over and it’s time to pick our writing up again… where to we start up again? What’s next?

If we don’t know where to start after our break it can be easy to just not start.

So before putting our writing aside if we could just take three minutes and think about what’s next. Jot it on a sticky note or create a new document.

Are revisions next? Maybe a reread through of your draft? Do you need to do research, or maybe just pick up where you were with your writing?

You don’t need a detailed plan (though I’m all for plans! See SMART goals for more!) but just a roadmark of sorts to give you a starting point will make returning to the project much easier when it’s time.

I’m all about making it as easy as possible, that’s why I’m here sharing these tips with you 😉

Bonus Tip!

To make your break from writing the most effective you need to… *drumroll please*… ACTUALLY TAKE A BREAK.

That’s right.

Go sit in the sunshine. Read a book. Cook something new (and send me the recipe!). Hike a mountain and count the stars. Rest. Recharge. 

If you keep getting new thoughts for your story, jot them down somewhere safe and then set them aside. This is your time to let things rest. You should be taking time for yourself no matter what- self care is important! Let’s let go of any guilt at not writing enough or the endless to do lists and allow ourselves to think new thoughts, explore new ideas.

Because at the end of the day we’re dreamers.

And once our break is over we’ll bring our new questions and energy back with us.

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I’d love to hear from you- what are your favorite ways to take a break? How do you practice self care in the midst of writing?