Take a Break to Recharge

You have been working hard on your writing career all year: developing ideas; writing; revising and editing; submitting or formatting; promoting and marketing. Perhaps you even took part in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) this year. And you have taken the time and effort to give thanks to your family and friends and fellow writers and readers who have supported you throughout all your efforts. AND NOW YOU ARE EXHAUSTED!

Well, hey, why not take a break? Even God reportedly took a rest after creating his magnus opus, so why not you? Why not consider the last month of the year your “seventh day” and simply take a break from writing?

I do not mean that you should never write or promote during the coming month, but think about seriously backing off the frantic pace and taking time out to spend the holiday season with family and friends; to take a vacation; to snuggle up by the fire and read some good books; to take walks in the woods or on the beach. Scientists as well as health and fitness experts tell us that getting away from our desks and doing some physical exercise will help reduce stress and promote brain health. Spending quality time with loved ones also is reputed to increase our chances of living a longer, healthier, and happier life as is the enjoyment of hobbies, such as painting, knitting, canoeing, or antique collecting.

So what’s stopping you?

No family or friends nearby? Call them and talk to them. Write them a letter telling them how much they mean to you. Attend a social function and meet new people.

Have no money for a vacation? Make your own vacation at home. Get out those cross-country skis and ski down a hill in the snow. Ice skate on a local pond (but only if the ice is safe!). Walk or bike to your favorite café and treat yourself to a hot chocolate or latte while you chat with friends or read a book. Visit local museums and points of interest in your vicinity.

Have no fireplace? Snuggle up under a quilt on the couch with your favorite beverage, preferably with a dog or cat in your lap, listen to some music, and enjoy the glow of soft candlelight. Or cuddle in bed and read to your child or grandchild.

Have no money with which to buy new books and you’ve already read all the ones you have? That’s what libraries are for. (Duh!)

Don’t live near the woods or a beach and have no car? Take a walk around your neighborhood. Say hello to the people you meet. Enjoy window shopping and admiring holiday decorations.

Unable to walk? Try lifting simple weights and get out in the fresh air if you can. And if you can’t, try simply reading or listening to audiobooks for a change instead of writing.

If you feel like being adventuresome, go to a restaurant serving ethnic food you’ve never eaten before – or open a cookbook, look up some recipes, and make your own never-before-eaten ethnic foods. Make table or room decorations and share your interest in another culture with family or friends.

Chances are you have plenty to keep you busy during this holiday season anyway, so why not relax and enjoy the season without worrying about how many words you wrote today or how you just finished a novel and need to make those revisions because, guess what? Those revisions will still be waiting for you after the holiday season, and furthermore, it’s best to let your new creation rest for at least several weeks before you tackle revising it. Then you can view it with a fresher eye and notice problem areas more easily.

So take a hint from a New Caledonia cat (if you think that calendar looks strange, it’s probably because it’s in French) and get up from your desk, stretch, and then either get out and exercise or – obviously this cat’s preference – take a nap. Let your brain rest and recharge and your subconscious work on coming up with just the right dialogue or what boulder will be too big next for your protagonist to push up the hill or how to resolve that love triangle your characters have somehow – without your permission! – become involved in.

And of course, if your subconscious does come up with answers while you’re resting, do write them down when you wake up before you forget them, but resist the urge to jump back in and write the entire rest of the novel today. Take time out to rest, to play, and simply to breathe. This will not only enhance your enjoyment of the holidays, it may even improve your writing.

After my junior year of college, I took a break, traveled across the country, and worked for most of a year before returning to university. When I took up my journalism classes again, my professor commented that my writing had greatly “matured” and was much better than it had been when I left school.

How could my writing have improved so much, I wondered, when all I’d written during the past year was letters home and grocery lists? Yes, I was a year older, and when you are twenty that could make a difference, but mainly I think it was because I had seen new places, met new people, and both enjoyed and suffered new experiences.

You don’t have to be young or immature to experience new adventures in life and allow your creative mind to reshape them into stories. Whatever your age, take a break from your work-in-progress and get out and make new memories so that you will have something new and exciting to write about next year.

Happy Holidays!