WRITER'S BLOCK: TAKE A BREAK

I'm suggesting that you take a break from your writing, unless you have a deadline you must meet, in order to rejuvenate your writing.  Nor because you feel stuck, frustrated, depleted of ideas….  or any other negative reason you can think of.

Taking a writing break is a way of maintaining emotional well being as a writer.   Just as we all need a specific amount of sleep and relaxation in our lives in order to have emotional well being (that's a pretty much agreed upon "fact."), we need to take a break from our writing to have emotional well being as a writer.   It is also a really good way to avoid burnout if you are a professional writer.

I'm not talking here about taking mini breaks during the day, but rather a longer period of time where you give your mind the opportunity to reenergize itself.

When a writing break does not come from frustration, feeling blocked, stuck or some other negative emotion, it is difficult to want to take a break.  It seems simply to be the way we're wired.  Yet, we can change our internal wiring.  But, it takes our consciousness and our belief in the importance of doing it.

Until you take a writing break it is unlikely that you will know the value of it.   If you have taken a break because you simply found that you could not write, then you may have serendipitously experienced a positive effect.   But, if you haven't, this is an activity that may well make a huge difference in your writing experience.  You can start small.  But, it is important to feel that you are pushing your comfort zone.

For more tips on how to keep yourself writing, see Overcome Writer's Block Easily.