Samhain Publishing Ltd Weblog

What to do when you’re NOT writing

I’m going to go hide now. Another well-meaning writing friend just tried to pummel me in to word-count servitude. You know, those schemes designed to guilt you into writing a book in a month by ignoring all outside distractions like eating, sleeping, bathing and national elections.

I have to hide. It’s either that or commit writing heresy by disagreeing with (Nora) Roberts’ Law. Some days, some weeks, some months, you really shouldn’t write.

Which probably comes as no surprise to regular readers of the Samhain blog. Lately, a lot of writers have been complaining about being forced to take a writing breather. Some of their reasons make you want to cheer—new babies, moves to new and exciting locales. Some break your heart—surgery, illness, dying parents.
The point is, good or bad, the reasons are all valid. Sometimes you need to step away from the keyboard. Writing is a job, a hard job. Working people get weekends and vacations. Why hold writers to a different standard?

Other than the fact you want to read their next book, that is. ;-) I’m with you there.

But a taking a writing break can make the next book even better. Bad times provide insight and incidents which add depth and resonance to a writer’s voice. They can also strengthen the need to write. The act of writing becomes a catharsis or a way of holding emotional pain at bay.

Good times can be like champagne without the hangover. Joy is infectious, and one of the most effective ways to spread the virus is by the written word.

From a writer’s standpoint, the important thing is to make it as easy as possible to return to work. Over the years I wrote for newspapers and government journals (notice, I didn’t call either of them nonfiction) I developed a few strategies to ease my way back into the saddle after a break. I offer them here in the hope they’ll make those necessary breaks a little easier on my fellow Samhellions—both writers and readers.

1.) Be responsible. As far as possible, clear your obligations before you go on hiatus. Finish those revisions or arrange for a friend you trust to take over your final line edits. If you’re worried about deadline, ask for an extension. The folks at Samhain are exceptionally understanding about the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. But remember, they won’t know you need help unless you ask.

2.) Don’t beat yourself up about not writing. Guilt is a lousy motivator and it shows in the work.

3.) Take notes. Good times and bad give rise to a host of little stories, which will come in handy when you’re building future plots. For example, a week before my mother died, when she was so weak she couldn’t stand without help, she insisted on coloring her hair. The results were pure farce —and a real keeper of a memory.

4.) Be kind to yourself. Playing with the cat, enjoying a cup of coffee or tea in pleasant surroundings, or eating a good meal isn’t treason. It’s keeping up your strength. A tired, hungry, sick writer is a blocked writer.

5.) Put something back in the well. Go to a movie. Watch TV. Read. Rinse, repeat after the crisis or vacation has passed. There’s nothing like somebody else getting it right—or wrong—to get your own creative juices flowing again.

See how easy that was. I won’t even ask you when you think you’re going to finish your next book.

At least not until tomorrow. ;-)

Cheers,
Jean Marie