Hey there. And welcome to Nothing but the Words. I’m your author coach, Candice L Davis.
We just celebrated Mother’s Day, and at our house, we’re preparing to celebrate our youngest daughter’s college graduation. We’re still staying at home, so we plan to have a huge Zoom party so friends and family can celebrate with us.
Right now, I’m writing every day. Some of my clients really needed some time to adjust when the pandemic became real for them, but for the most part, they’re writing and making progress on their books.
A lot of times you’ll hear that you need to write every day. Set a daily writing goal. 3 pages, 2000 words, whatever it is, and write every single day no matter what. I’m a big believer in writing consistently. I advised my coaching clients to have a writing routine, so they can make consistent progress because writing a great book isn’t something you can do in a weekend or a week. It takes
But there are times when it might serve you better to take a break from writing your book.
When you’re going back and forth between book ideas you might need to take a break from writing your book. This is the time to do some further research or introspection and make a figure out what your goals are. Which book do you want to write first? Which idea makes the most sense for your goals and the goals you have for our readers? Stop hopping from idea to idea and figure out what you’re doing, so you can actually finish writing a book.
When you’re still working out your story or your ideas. Maybe you have a strong outline but you get into the writing and discover you can’t quite articulate what you want to say, you can’t go deep enough with some of the content, or you can’t make the connections you know your reader will need.
Take a break from the writing. Give yourself a few weeks to dive into some research or to journal about your ideas. You’ll have more mental space to formulate your ideas and solidify your philosophies when you don’t have the pressure of trying to communicate them to readers. Give yourself some time to sort it all out, and then go back to the page. But also remember that writing is one of the best ways to get through that process, so journaling your ideas may just get you there faster.
When you have another major project on your calendar you might need to take a break from your writing. If you’re in the middle of moving to a new house, starting a new job, or launching a product, writing might be just the escape you need. But it might feel like one more chore you can’t take on at the moment. If you’re in the latter category, put your book aside and schedule time in your calendar for when you’ll have the time you need to commit to writing it well.
When you’re dealing with a major life event or challenge, like a divorce, a new baby, or the loss of a loved one, give yourself some grace. Again, writing your book might be the break you need from the rest of your life, but if it’s not, if it feels like a chore because you’re mentally and emotionally drained from some life event, take a step back. Give yourself time to process what’s going on, and then come back to your book.
When you’ve just finished writing a book, you likely need to take a break from writing. This is definitely not the case for all authors. Some want to roll right from one book into the next. But writing a book is a big deal. If you’ve just finished the process, cut yourself some slack. You’ll need some of that time and energy to market and promote your book. And you’ll also likely want to give your brain time to make new connections and come up with new ideas. Don’t feel pressured to start the next book right away.
If you decide to take a break from writing your book, check in with yourself. Answer a few questions.
Are you just procrastinating? Listen. The human brain is designed to steer you seek pleasure, avoid pain, and conserve energy. The authors of “The Pleasure Trap” call this “The Motivational Triad.” The book is largely about healthy living and eating, but in this case, seeking pleasure might mean taking a break instead of writing. You spend that time binging a Netflix show you really enjoy instead.
Avoiding pain might mean avoiding that ugly first draft we all write. If you find it painful to sit down and crank out work that isn’t great on the first go-round, your brain may tell you not to bother. Take a break instead.
And of course, you conserve energy when you don’t do the work. If you’re taking a break from writing your book because something else feels better to do in the short-term or because it feels “too hard” or because you don’t want to do the work, you’re thinking like a human, but you’re cheating yourself. Decide f you
Ask yourself also: are you just using this as a slow way to quit? If you want to give up on the idea of writing a book or the book you’re currently writing, it’s better to just be honest about that. You’ll save yourself a lot of time and energy.
Let go of the guilt and choose to do something else with your time. Either write the book you want to write, or if you really don’t want to write a book—and maybe you’re doing it because someone said you should—find something else to do. Or do nothing! But don’t drag out the inevitable. Cut the cord if that’s really what you want to do.
Are you taking a break out of fear that your book won’t be good enough? If so, don’t beat yourself up. Figure out what you’re afraid of and do something about it. Polish your writing skills.
Get some coaching to work on your mindset, your writing routine, and whatever else you need to get you over the fear and writing again. In Short Books: Big Results, my group coaching program, I have weekly office hours so my clients can pop in and ask for whatever help they need. That’s the kind of consistent support you might need to keep writing.
The bottom line is this. There are times when it makes sense to take a break from writing. If you find yourself in that position, make a decision. Decide that you’re putting your book aside for now. Decide if and when you’ll pick it back up. Decide how you’ll use that break, so it doesn’t get frittered away on activities that don’t really matter to you. As long as you like and respect your reasons for taking a break, and you use that break in the way you intend, do it without beating yourself up about it.
And if you really do want to write your book, then get back to it when the time comes and stay focused until you reach “The End.” You can do this.
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Thanks for listening to “Nothing but the Words,” I’m your author coach, Candice L Davis, and I’ll see you next time.