by Raquel Arnold

Created on: April 30, 2009

Take a break.

If you're tired of writing, then it's time to rest your weary mind (and fingers). As a writer who, in most respects, only writes when inspiration is flowing and her muse is showing, I know all about trying to 'train' myself to write on a regular basis. In actuality, it's probably one of the wost things you could do.

Writing, which has been my passion since grade school, has always come naturally to me. Unfortunately, there are times when I simply don't feel like writing. It's not always because life is calling; I can remember sitting in the shade on a beautiful spring day with absolutely no one around, pen and paper and hand, itching to write and... nothing happened. I thumped my pen against the clean sheet of lined paper in the notebook, wracking my brain for a witty poem or limerick to jot down. Defeated, I decided to toss my writing utensils back in the house and enjoy the rest of my day. Which turned into the rest of my spring. And then summer.

Fall was creeping around the corner one day, and I eyed that same pen and pad that had been lying in the corner for months. I picked it up and once I did, I couldn't stop. It was a flurry of words that I'd heard, visuals that I'd recorded in my mind and I was itching to get them on paper. After several hours of non-stop writing, I put my pen down. Staring back at me were ten pages which I had written on from front-to-back.

This burst of creativity inspired me and let me to believe that I should write on a daily basis, so I did. The first week went smoothly; I had so many experiences from months past that I barely ran out of material. But by the time the second week rolled around, I often forced myself to write. The quality of my writing declined as well, in comparison to prior efforts.

I found that, with the time spent away from writing, the quality of my work skyrocketed. I haven't forced myself to write since.

Long story short (all puns intended): Do what feels right to you. Someone with a true love for quality writing will hit a snag from time to time and the best and only method is to wait it out. Take a break. Instead of writing your own work, try reading someone else's. Watch a movie, listen to music or take a walk. All of these things are wonderful for creating creativity.

So rest up, take a long break and you'll be ready to come back better than ever. You'll thank yourself for it.

Happy Writing.

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