Take A Break

Rest and recovery are key to any strength building process. Even writing.

We’re officially into summer, folks. On the east coast, we’ve already suffered through our first heat wave. We’ve ended Sunday nights at the pool four four weeks straight. Ice cream is now an official food group. School’s out, toes out, and I’m here for it.

I gotta get cranking on that sunroom. And my novel currently in progress.

I’ve been pulling some late hours and nose grind days to meet a pending deadline. I have head my head bent over a keyboard for days. But there are times when I have to just stop. Stand upright. Look at other words for a change.

I gotta take a break.

Rest is key to any growth plan. Writing is no different-in order to grow as a Iw writer you have to consume something other than your own work. Reading books is a great way to rest, but there’s other methods, too:

Read other types of writing—magazines, newspapers, blogs, Substacks.

Write other types of writing—magazine articles, poems, shorter stories, letters.

Consume other types of art—painting, films, tv shows, food,

Make other types of art—draw, paint, sketch, needlepoint, food, yoga poses

Do something completely different—sand that sunroom floor, sort jewelry, paint my nails

The worst type of break? For me, social media. Not because it’s all bad, but because I spend too much time on it, and then can’t get back to the work at hand. Like I did this afternoon.

Breaks help the mind and eyes rest. They spark new ideas. They prevent me from tossing my laptop into the air in frustration. Plus, siting in a chair for prolonged stretches is starting to wear on my body (more on that in a future post).

But these are breaks. Not pauses. Not sabbaticals.

Break time over.

Time to get back at it.