My dearests!
So we're deep into August, and the summertime is swooshing by. Soon (and very soon!) we're going to be in the throes of BAKER'S DOZEN PREP. Which is incredibly hard to believe, yes?
Keep your eye on the blog for EARLY INFO on the Baker's Dozen. And start polishing your loglines!
As for me--I'm taking a writing hiatus. Not a blogging hiatus, mind you; I'll still be here. But I've got a substantial amount of editing (for Authoress Edits) lined up for the rest of this month, and, well, also I simply need a break.
I mean, really. And for the first time, I am allowing myself to do this without keeping a pinky finger on my keyboard. (You all know what I mean. Right?)
I'm drained. It's a long journey, and my water bottle has run dry. I've just finished an emotionally difficult revision, and I'm not sure what to do next. So I'm putting it all aside.
Probably this is my smartest move in a long time. At least, I hope so! And yes, I know--many of you have counseled me before in the wisdom of taking a break. Thing is, I was never really quite able to do it. That whole oh-my-gosh-my-day-isn't-complete-unless-I've-written something kicks in pretty strongly most days.
I guess I've hit my breaking point.
I hope I find my reentry point, too.
Because...I'm a writer. And I've got to keep doing what I love.
So. There it is. You've got my back, right?
You know what's going to happen next. I'm going to wake up in the middle of the night with an AMAZING story idea, and...
Yeah. That's how it goes. Isn't BEING A STORYTELLER such a wonderful thing? I love it--I really do.
Have a good weekend, my lovelies!
I think you will find your reentry point. Even if it seems like you won't (and i've been there) one day it will just sneak up on you and you'll think "huh. There it is"
ReplyDeleteMay you be refreshed and reinvigorated by your writing break. (I call such breaks "filling the well.") Be filled. Be well.
ReplyDeleteWe have the example from agriculture of a farmer’s leaving a field to lie fallow. This lets the soil refresh the nutrients so that after a time it can again bring forth a bountiful harvest.
ReplyDeleteYou’ve been in a high production mode. It’s natural that your creative soil would some time to lie fallow and refresh.
After a time, you will be ready to till it again, and when that time comes the soil will be fertile and yield forth a new crop of plots, and characters, and themes.
Long overdue. Your reentry will become very apparent.
ReplyDeleteAw, it's gonna be okay! You seem trepidatious.
ReplyDeleteBut maybe sometimes the best thing to put life into your writing is to have some life in your life. = P So your break will definitely power you forward! It's like an inspiration investment, this break.
Hugs!
Since it certainly sounds like you've been working long and hard on your writing without taking any real breaks, I'm sure you'll be fine taking a bit of a breather. I know we so often hear that 'a writer writes' and that it's important to write something every day, but we all need a break now and then -- so don't feel that there's anything wrong with that.
ReplyDeleteSometimes when I see writers struggling with an issue, I recommend leaving that project alone for a while and not writing anything other than an occasional exercise -- or notes on that great idea that came to them! -- and spending as much time as possible reading good books instead.
I've been writing since I was just a kid, but I've had plenty of substantial breaks when I wrote little or nothing -- not by choice, but because other things in life got in the way. And more often than not, when I'd come back to it I'd discover that I'd mysteriously become more clever and my writing was more sophisticated than before!
I believe that's evidence of the fact that taking breaks actually allows your brain a chance to incorporate what you've been teaching it when you're actively working at any skill. And perhaps it's also a bit like rebooting a computer -- sometimes that's the best way to solve all kinds of problems! :)
You'll know when you're ready to start again. I know it sounds corny, but stop and smell the roses. I burned out (at the day job) a few years ago and took a break. I still, to this day, make a conscious decision to stop when I pass a rose bush and smell. It's my reminder that the simple things bring the most pleasure.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy life and when 'enjoyment' means you need to write the passion will re-ignite.
You'll start again. I took a writing hiatus once wondering if I'd ever come back. Well here I am with several novels in states of submission, editing, and drafting outlines.
ReplyDeleteLet yourself be free-spirited. That's what being a writer us all about. And if you DO get a brilliant idea tonight, let it simmer a week and then start something new. I'm waiting for the day you come out of hiding and tell me where I can buy your book. Yes, that day will come.
After finishing all the edits on my last novel, I didn't know what to write next. I thought of different plot lines to get me started, and some were very good, but I couldn't write. I told myself it's like any other job, so I should just sit down and do it. That didn't work.
ReplyDeleteSo I took a break that lasted a few months. Then something caught my attention three days ago, and I threw myself into learning more about it. While researching, the idea hit me to write about it. That's when I learned something about me that I should have already recognized-- for me to write about anything and have it sustain me for 80,000 words, I have to feel it. It doesn't matter how great the idea is, if I don't feel it, I can't write it.
All of that is to agree with the importance of writers needing to take breaks. Not only will something inevitably capture our attention, but we just might learn something about ourselves as a result of the hiatus.
Have a great weekend yourself Mrs. Authoress!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your break! You deserve it.
ReplyDelete