Andrew Jack Writing

Andrew Jack's Writing Blog

When the going gets tough

Posted on | May 3, 2010 | No Comments

It’s been a very up and down few weeks, and to say I’ve done very little writing would be a gross understatement.

I think I’ve managed about a thousand words in two weeks.

This has happened before of course, life gets on top of all of us. There really are only two choices. Keep going, or stop. I don’t mean stop forever… most people who want to be writers won’t even consider stopping for the foreseeable future, but there is a temptation to say “I’ll just quit for a few months”.

This is a terribly bad idea.

We all need recharge time, and taking a planned break for a week or two is a good thing, but by the time you get to the end of that two weeks you should be itching to get back into your story. If you have to take three months off because you are so overloaded and exhausted then  something needs to be changed.

I’ve said before if you want to be a professional writer you need to treat your writing like a business. Most of us can’t quit our jobs because we’re too overloaded to do them, and there’s no way you should be quitting your writing to just take time off. I understand writing is hard, but it’s also a lot like exercise, and if you stop writing for too long you’re going to get out of shape.

I’m getting back into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu after a long lay off, and I’m dreadfully out of shape. Two rounds of sparring has me gasping for air. If I’d kept going, even once a week instead of taking time off completely, i would be in far better condition to get back on the mats now.

The same is true for your writing. Take too long off and your brain won’t be able to handle the transition back to full on writing as well as it should. If you desperately need a break to do something else, try doing just a little writing once a week to keep your hand in. When you have the time/energy/inclination to write a lot again you won’t burn yourself out nearly as easily.

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Category: advice

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