How to Take a Break From Your Writing and Come Back Better Than Ever
3 simple ways to make it count
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I’ve been writing every single day for most of my life, especially the past 4 years.
So why on earth would I tell you to take a break?
Everybody Needs a Vacation
Let’s face it. Writing is work. It can be really hard work sometimes.
You schedule a vacation every summer or every Christmas from your day job. When I lifted weights years ago, I read that you should schedule time off every year from going to the gym.
This seems counterintuitive because writing every day is the only way to get better at it. When I learned how to play basketball, I played every single day for months, even years as a teenager. If I gave it up, eventually I’d lose what I gained.
The problem is we get into ruts. We coast. And as we move, we have no idea if our ruts are helpful or harmful. As long as we’re avoiding major disaster, we tell ourselves we’re okay.
Last spring, I took a trip to the beach. We didn’t plan anything but walks, dinner at a local restaurant, and playing games at night. We didn’t go to museums, visit local attractions, or do anything that was more than two or three blocks away. Our car stayed cold until it was time to drive back home, the only exception being a trip to get a few groceries.
It was glorious.
A writing break is like a vacation. You plan to be gone for a specific amount of time, like a week. You have a definite beginning and ending. Hopefully, when your break is over, you’ll be refreshed and ready to get back to work.
Do Something You’ve Never Done Before
Most of the time our family would fill vacation time with things to do. There are so many things to see in this town. Let’s do it all!
That’s great if that is what you want to do.
Our last trip to the beach was different because that is all we did. We spent time slowing down and really enjoying the beach. One morning I got up and took a picture of the sun rising over the ocean. While I was there, I noticed a bride having her picture…
