What? Taking a break during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)? What kind of advice is this? I can’t take a break. I have to get 50,000 words written in thirty days. This is madness.
Not really. There are times, even when a deadline is looming, that a writer has to take a break. When my creative juices have run dry, applying more pressure to squeeze out nothing isn’t productive. But the deadline is still there. Taking a two week vacation from writing is not an option. So how do you take a break and meet the deadline? Try my suggestions below.
Your Break Depends on Your Problem
What kind of problem are you experiencing in your writing? Before I sit down to write, I will outline the basic point of each scene, the reason this scene has to be in the story. Then I try to write the scene. If I flounder, it’s often because I can’t figure out how to start the scene. I’m hung up on details, such as I need Mrs. Thompson to reveal that her grandson was in the Army but don’t know how to create a conversation so that bit of information comes out naturally.
For those type of problems, I’ve found staring at a blank page or screen a hindrance, not a help. I have to step away and do something like laundry. But my mind is still working on the problem. I’ll let it wander while I work, and it almost always comes up with a solution. Sometimes, I only need to take a five minute break before my mind bores a hole through my writer’s block.
But maybe your problem is mental fatigue. You’ve overtaxed your imagination, and now it’s coming up empty. I find this requires a longer break, usually for the rest of the day. A solid night’s sleep is the most help. But if you can’t afford to take off part of a day, do something during your break that has nothing to do with writing and don’t let your mind wander to the story. Baking is something I like to do that is totally separate from writing. While your mind and attention are focused on this activity, your creative juices have time refill.
Look Forward to Thanksgiving
I imagine a lot of Americans tackling NaNoWriMo dread Thanksgiving because you either can’t write that day or you have to make drastic alterations to your writing schedule to get your word count in like getting up at 4 a.m.
If you’ve found yourself fighting through your manuscript, use Thanksgiving as your break. Don’t allow yourself to think about your novel during the day. You will probably be surprised at how productive you are on Friday.
Writers, what do you do when you need to take a break?
When I can’t figure out a scene, my brain seems to magically find the solution while I sleep. Reviewing everything I know about the characters in the scene, the plots/conversations that need to happen after the troublesome scene, and elements leading up to the troublesome scene before I go to bed seems to get my brain in problem-solving mode. It isn’t always immediate, but I’ve been amazed how much brains accomplish during rest!