by Alexis Whaley

Created on: July 13, 2008

I'm a firm believer in taking breaks from writing. I love writing, but it has many ups and downs and sometimes exhausting challenges. Writing is a long haul activity, a big part of my life that I will do for the rest of my life. I need to be able to balance it with all my other activities, plus my health and well-being. Sometimes this means taking a break from writing and giving myself permission to not feel guilty about it.

I take breaks when:

1. I am sick. In the past year I've had a lighter work schedule, so I have had more time to write. I have noticed that when I don't feel well I cannot think up a new scene or article. It's like that part of my brain is just gone and it doesn't work to try and force it. If I don't feel too bad, I may be able to revise or do some catch-up typing. But basically, I find it's better to take a day or two off and just recover.

2. I am puzzling out a problem. Often I get to a point in a scene where I just don't know which of several ways to go. I'll think about it for awhile, and if I'm not getting anywhere I stop and do something else. Physical activity is a great way to redirect your thoughts. Exercise, cleaning, or taking a shower or bath all work well. I like to take long walks. It gets my blood flowing and my mind going in a different way.

3. I get to a stopping point. Sometimes I just come to the end of a scene and the drive to propel myself to the end dissipates. If I don't have a place to go next, I stop for the day and do other things. I give my subconscious mind time to ponder where to go next by not actively thinking about it. Then, before I know it, I know what to do next and I am excited about sitting down to the writing again.

4. I'm so sick of my story that I think I will scream. There are just times when I am sick of my idea and I start to really doubt the work, especially when writing a book. This situation usually needs several days to a week off. My best fix for this is to do something fun or unexpected that I don't do often but enjoy. I love going to museums and looking at art, it feeds my soul. Read a good book, watch some movies, listen to music, browse in the library, meet up with friends. Get outside of your own head. A recharge is needed, both physically and emotionally.

5. I'm bored. If I just can't get my energy up to work on it. Sometimes I write something else or a different part of the piece. Other times I do other activities I need to do. Oddly enough, going through my mail and papers and straightening things up helps me clear out some mental cobwebs. I know writers who work on several projects so they can switch back and forth. I like to keep my main focus on one big project, and do smaller pieces that don't take up a lot of time in between. Writing Helium articles is perfect for this!

6. I feel petulant. Sometimes I just get in a bad mood and I don't want to do anything I am "supposed" to do, a throwback to childhood, I guess. This is when I take a mini-vacation. I take a weekend and do only what I want to do: sleep late, read, watch TV, talk to friends, eat what I want. I let myself just wallow in it. And in a couple days the bad mood lifts and I am ready to get back to it.

I'm not advocating taking so much time off from writing that you never go back to it, or using a break to simply procrastinate. Only you can know how much time you can take off to refresh yourself and renew your energy without being away for so long that you can't get going again. But I do believe that taking intentional breaks when needed increases productivity, the quality of the writing, and your pleasure in the process.

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