5 Reasons You Should Stop Writing

7/30/2019 5 Reasons You Should Stop Writing

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Sometimes the best thing a writer can do is not write. There are going to be

times when our brains are fried, our imaginations are dried up, and our lives are

demanding we put non-writing priorities first.

In these situations, is it ever acceptable to just surrender and throw down the

pen for a while? My answer is absolutely . In fact, sometimes it’s wise to

deliberately plan to stop writing. Let’s consider a few instances in which not

writing is not only acceptable but important.

1. To let a story breathe

By the time we finish writing a novel, our objectivity will have packed its bags

and headed to Rio. We can edit the darn thing until we’re blue in the face, but

we’re not likely to really see what’s wrong with it until we’re able to put a little

distance between ourselves this story we’ve grown to love (or, perhaps, hate).

Once I finish a first draft, I edit the manuscript three times to correct obvious

typos and continuity errors. Then I set it aside for as much as a year. I don’t

look at it; I don’t think about it. I just wait until my gut starts telling me myobjectivity has boarded its return flight back from vacation.

2. To work on a different project

We may have any number of good reasons to stop writing a particular book and

focus on something else. This something else might be another story, a non-

fiction book, or something totally unrelated to writing: painting, crocheting,

playing football, having a baby, you name it.

If you’re lucky enough to be interested and talented in other art forms, you can

alternate between projects to keep yourself fresh and interested in both. In his

article “The 20-story summer” in the May 2013 issue of The Writer , Eric D.

Lehman calls this “feeding the brain machine so I could go back to the big

project with new insights and abilities.”

3. To schedule a regular day off

You take a day off from work every week, so why not writing? I write six days

out of the week, but I always schedule one day off out of every week and hold

5 Reasons You Should Stop Writing

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to it adamantly. When my writing isn’t going so great, this day is a reward. But

even when my writing is sailing along splendidly, this regular day off allows me

to recharge my batteries, stave off burnout, and apply time to non-writing

activities and chores.

4. To take an enforced vacation

Your brain is like a rubber band. Stretch it too hard for too long, and it’ll either

snap or end up so limp it won’t hold anything together. When you feel burnout

approaching, do yourself and your writing a favor and take a break.

After finishing a manuscript, I always have to give myself at least a few months

to recuperate before diving into the next project. This period isn’t a vacation in

the strictest sense, since I’m still showing up at my desk to work on marketing

and perhaps the editing of other projects.

But there are other times when a total vacation is required. Unplug your Internet

for a week or two, step away from the computer, and pamper yourself with ice

cream, movie marathons, lots of walks, and lots of reading. You’ll return to your

writing refreshed and re-energized.

5. To walk away from writing for a time

So far, the break periods we’ve discussed have been relatively brief. But what

about taking a serious break from writing? What about stopping for months or

even years? This, of course, is a whole ’nother ballgame. If you’re even

considering this, then you are either losing interest in your writing or you’re

facing major changes in your life. Both are legitimate reasons to make the

decision to step away from your writing for a time.

Sometimes, for whatever reason, we just won’t be able to make our writing work

at certain periods in our life. Squeezing it in even when it’s difficult is the road

most of us will take—and we’ll likely be rewarded for our tenacity in doing so.

But sometimes life has other plans. If writing isn’t what you want to (or can) do

right now, don’t be afraid to set it aside for a while. This doesn’t mean you’re

not a writer, and it doesn’t mean you’ll never come back to your writing. A

decision like this should never be made lightly, but, in some situations, it maybe the best thing you can do for both yourself and all the stories you will write

in the future.

Writers write. But sometimes, when they have good reasons for doing so,

writers don’t write. If you need to take a break—long or short—to let a story

breathe or to let yourself breathe, then don’t hesitate to do so. Writing is an

inherently instinctive and organic process. If your gut is telling you a break is

just what the book doctor ordered, then go for it. Otherwise, get back to your

desk and start hammering those keys!



About the Author: K.M. Weiland grew up chasingBilly the Kid and Jesse James on horseback throughthe sand hills of western Nebraska, where she stilllives. A lifelong fan of history and the power of thewritten word, she enjoys sharing both through hernovels and short stories. Visit her blog Wordplay:

Helping Writers Become Authors to read her takeon the writing life.

www.kmweiland.com

www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com

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5 Reasons You Should Stop Writing