What do ya'll think about taking breaks?

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  • #38101
    Elizabeth
    @that_writer_girl_99
      • Rank: Eccentric Mentor
      • Total Posts: 1819

      @kate-Flournoy Funny, kinda felt like I was the only one struggling with this very question…

      *chokes* Okay @winter-rose I think I’m definitely with Kate on this one. I can’t take breaks either, try as I might. But you’ve gotta do whatever you feel comfortable with, in the end. The only advice I can give to you, if you choose not to take a break, is to keep reading over your draft. With ever pass you’ll see something different.

      Writer. Dreamer. Sometimes blogger. MBTI mess. Lover of Jesus and books.

      #38109
      Ethryndal
      @ethryndal
        • Rank: Eccentric Mentor
        • Total Posts: 1013

        @Winter-Rose One little tip about breaking from your WIP…I took a several-month unintentional hiatus from my book, and when I came back to it, I couldn’t remember half of the things I was going to change to make it better. Certain spots I was going to add a bit of dialogue, or a symbolic moment, or whatever, but it had been so long that I forgot most of my ideas when I actually came back to write them.

        If you take a break, make sure that every idea you may later have gets WRITTEN DOWN.

        EVERY. SINGLE. ONE.

        INTJ ➸Your friendly neighborhood mastermind. ➸https://thesarcasticelf.wordpress.com/

        #38162
        Brandon Miller
        @brandon-miller
          • Rank: Charismatic Rebel
          • Total Posts: 42

          OH YES.
          What @ethryndal said. %200.
          Make sure you have everything thoroughly documented and laid out so that you can come back to it. I just spent the ENTIRE month of June getting my current project back in my head so that I could outline the second half of it and move on. Don’t do that to yourself. Write everything down (and then put it somewhere where you’ll remember it. A Scrivener project maybe?)

          #38165
          Louise Fowler
          @perfectfifths
            • Rank: Knight in Shining Armor
            • Total Posts: 726

            @winter-rose Yes, I agree with @daeus. But always wait between actually writing the thing, and all the hard editing/proofreading.

            Currently reading Les Miserables

            #38191
            Mark Kamibaya
            @mark-kamibaya
              • Rank: Knight in Shining Armor
              • Total Posts: 318

              @winter-rose I’ll jump in and make this short and sweet. I take two kinds of breaks:

              (1) completely forget about the project and work on another one. Do your best to put that project out of sight and out of mind.

              (2) You stop writing and that’s it. You’re actively working on plots, arcs, characters, themes, and world building. But you’re not putting that into prose. You’re just brainstorming.

              Oh, and I’d suggest not doing the second draft. Fix up your problems through break #2 then write the second draft. That’s what I’d do, but do what seems right in your own eyes 😛

              I blog on story and spiritual things at mkami.weebly.com

              #38192
              Mark Kamibaya
              @mark-kamibaya
                • Rank: Knight in Shining Armor
                • Total Posts: 318

                Did you know that if you work too much and don’t take breaks, then you experience burnout? But if you experience constant burnout then you turn into a dragon! So @kate-flournoy has already reached that stage. @that_writer_girl_99 . . . you’re next. 😛

                I blog on story and spiritual things at mkami.weebly.com

                #38197
                Elizabeth
                @that_writer_girl_99
                  • Rank: Eccentric Mentor
                  • Total Posts: 1819

                  *winces* well then.

                  Writer. Dreamer. Sometimes blogger. MBTI mess. Lover of Jesus and books.

                  #38199
                  Kate Flournoy
                  @kate-flournoy
                    • Rank: Chosen One
                    • Total Posts: 3976

                    @Mark-Kamibaya :O :O :O Is that what happened??? :O :O :O Wow…
                    *stares at wings and claws*
                    *blinks at dragonish self in a mirror*
                    *runs screaming from the room*

                    Anonymous
                      • Rank: Eccentric Mentor
                      • Total Posts: 1486

                      @daeus Ok I’m glad I’m not the only one who wants to finish a second draft before taking a break. XD


                      @perfectfifths
                      I have a little trouble with that one. I sometimes get bogged down by the details, when I really need to just make it work and move on.


                      @Brandon-miller
                      @ethryndal In 100% agreement with you there. *thumbs up* I will try my best to capture those rogue ideas and force them into some concrete form so I can remember them later.

                      and sorry Brandon, I don’t have Scrivener (though I hear its awesome)


                      @mark-kamibaya
                      Ah so many options! Thanks so much for your input! I’m actually taking one of those plot/character arc focused breaks now, sort of unintentionally.

                      Also, you turn into a dragon?! Whoa.

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