Knowing When to Take a Break

Although it's essential to keep writing and not give up on a story, it's also necessary to allow yourself occasional breaks. This may seem a bit contradictory, given the topic of my last blog, but I think that this subject is equally as important.

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A Break or Procrastination?

This can be a difficult question to answer. How do you know if you're taking a necessary break or if you're just procrastinating on a difficult project? In my experience, this has to do with when you've chosen to take your break. Is it happening during a bout of writer's block? Sorry, but in most cases, that would qualify as procrastination. 

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When would it be considered a necessary break, then? For me, these types of breaks come between drafts. In fact, many published authors recommend taking at least a few weeks after each draft. Then, you can look at your piece with fresh eyes. Some authors choose to start a new project during this time, but that isn't always the right choice. 

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What I Learned from Jessica Day George

While at a writing conference last month, I sat in on a panel that housed the New York Times Bestselling author Jessica Day George. When talking about whether breaks were just an excuse to stop writing, Ms. George took the time to tell a story about her life. When her Tuesdays at the Castle series first started becoming popular, Day George was writing nonstop. Although this bolstered her success, Ms. George warned against this type of working attitude. 

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After several years with this attitude, Jessica Day George started to have some serious health problems. So serious, in fact, that her liver started shutting down. Doctors ran test after test, trying to determine what was going wrong inside her body. Do you know what they determined? It was stress. Ms. George was under so much stress from writing constantly that it almost killed her!

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Why I Decided to Take a Break

When writing the most recent draft of my novel, I spent upwards of two hours every day editing for several months. I was grinding out chapters as quickly as possible while in school full-time and working part-time. For my story, it was fantastic. By the end of it, though, I was completely and utterly drained. It was hard to think. It was hard to focus on anything. It was even hard to celebrate my success after finishing the draft.

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Because my book was in a good position and I wasn't blocked, I decided to hit pause on editing. I'd completed my draft, and I was waiting for my beta readers to finish reading it. It felt like the perfect time to take a break. It wasn't permanent, and I knew when I was going to return to the draft. So, really, all this break was doing was giving me time to recharge while I finished my degree. These types of breaks are not only warranted, they're necessary.

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How Do You Know When the Time is Right?

I'm not inclined to encourage people to take breaks during a draft. Sure, it's fine to take a day here and there, especially when you're mentally and physically exhausted. However, stopping in the middle of a draft is a sure-fire way to lose your momentum. 

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Between drafts? Take all the breaks that you need! I do recommend having a solid return date, though. You don't want to accidentally abandon a project because a two-month break became a two-year-long break. If you don't need a break, that's perfectly acceptable. Start a new project! It is recommended to wait between drafts, but that doesn't mean stopping your writing altogether. Just trust yourself to know when it's best to pause and breathe for a moment. Your mental and physical health will thank you for it!

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