Take a Break-Tip#14
Dear Storyteller,
Take a Break is Tip#14!
It might seem like horrible writing advice. You might very well be saying out loud or in your head, “But if I take a break, I’ll only get behind!”
To this I say, not so. Contrary to popular belief and all the writing advice that is currently out there, you won’t get behind. You’ll actually get ahead in the long-run.
Read on to find out why.
Old Advice vs. New Advice
Old writing advice used to essentially enslave you to the pen. New writing advice (my own in particular) encourages listening to the dictates of your heart (in a good way).
What was the Old Writing Advice?
Classically called the “sit down and do it” advice. Okay, that’s my personal classification for it. It’s not a real term, but you get the idea. Old writing advice enforced literally sitting down, whether you felt inspired or not, and writing.
It encoded “creating a daily writing habit” into the topmost advice for young (and old) or novice (and veteran) authors. It was the writing advice if you “wanted to get your story finished.”
why am I personally against this Old Writing Advice?
You’ve probably heard me say this in another blog posting, but it’s so important. Because of this, it definitely bears repeating. This perspective literally burns the writer out.
You might be saying, “but that’s your opinion.” And you’re absolutely right! It is solely my opinion…or is it?
What’s the New Writing Advice then?
Literally, take a break.
If you’re not feeling it, don’t write. Take that evening off. Or the day. Or even a few days. Or a week!
(Although, personally, I don’t think I could go a week without writing at least…something!).
Why does taking a break help?
Of course, these are all just my own opinions again, so take each with a grain of salt. But I truly believe if you take a break from your writing, it actually leads to more creativity.
Removing the intense pressure we put on ourselves as writers is a huge step toward reinvigorating ourselves to write. It leads to more inspiration. More motivation. More eagerness to write. And less time rewriting, plotting, and editing.
Wait? You can get all that from taking a break?
Mmm, yea. Most assuredly, you can.
Fun fact: a quick Google search stated that you can actually burn up to 50 extra calories (on top of your resting caloric consumption) per hour, if you are writing a book!
So, while thrilling and exciting, writing is also taxing. You actually burn calories while typing. That can be a lot of calories for a semi-sedentary activity.
(All of this info was gathered from a quick Google search on October 26, 2025).
And honestly, writing and concentrating makes you tired. It really does! Some days more than others. No matter how excited you are to finish your novel.
A tiny caveat: if you are that excited to finish your novel, the hype/euphoria/adrenaline from knowing you’re almost done is a huge conributing factor, and, truth be told, all these things in combination can make writing-and finishing-your story much easier.
But if you’re in the stage (typically the middle portion of your storytelling) where you’re just trying to get more words on the page to press on toward the end of your story, this is typically where more breaks are better.
Bottom line:
Rest is an important component to completing your very first novel. Give yourself permission to take a break. You’ll find yourself returning to your writing with more enthusiasm than ever before because you’ve given your brain permission to defrag, just like a computer system. My brother told me that computers, yes, even computers, need to shut down to reboot their system. So why wouldn’t you think you need the same?
Remember that REM cycle everyone talks about while you’re sleeping? Remember how the sleep experts said you need that cycle so many times per night in order to fully achieve functional rest and recharging? Yea. It still applies to writing. God instituted rest after He created the universe and everything in within 6 days. Did He need the rest? Certainly not! But He knew that you and I would need it. So He created a day of rest.
If God can rest from His creativity that wasn’t hard for Him to complete, think how much more you and I need to rest from our creativity! This is even more proof that it’s okay to take a break.
You said you weren’t the only one who gives this advice now?
True story!
While I used to feel as if I was the only one who thought taking a break from my writing was a good idea, I’ve recently discovered that more and more writers are jumping on board with this same philosophy. And honestly, it’s pretty cool to see!
Take Christy Ann Jones, for instance. I just recently started watching her YouTube videos for fun. She’s a secular writer from Australia, and I love her accent. Love hearing it! If I could speak with an accent all the time, I certainly would, but I think people would think it’s a bit odd…at least those who already knew me…
Anyway, back on topic! I think she’s a great example of how to finish a novel and yet take a break. And this is coming from a writer who will be traditionally published come 2026!
You can check out her YouTube video here. If you are a writer with a full-time job (as I am currently), then this video will be particularly helpful to you in terms of how to balance (or at least one way you can balance) your job and your writing. If you don’t want to watch her whole video, skip to the 18 minutes 30 seconds mark for a good intro into her take on writing daily in order to finish your novel.
Why are things morphing and changing so much?
I really feel it’s related to the burn-out that writers have. Writing for a living is hard work! Definitely not for the weak of heart or mind. Like everyone else, I wanted more than anything to be a “bestselling” author because this would allow me to pursue what I truly want, right? Writing books!
Yet, the market is so flooded with indie authors, that it is growing more difficult to stand out from the crowd. Furthermore, we pour so much energy into reaching readers (which is a good thing!), but more and more advice is to step back and take a break. Reevaluate. Don’t try everything. Try what fits you.
This latter advice is the best advice. I’m hearing more and more, just do what you’re gifted at. Don’t chase trends. If you love a certain something, then focus on that one thing. For instance, posting on facebook or instagram. Or joining Medium (yea, I don’t like the name of this website, but it’s a good place to connect with and share your work with other authors. I haven’t personally done it yet, but I know some authors have had some good success there. It’s kinda like an updated Wattpad, from my understanding).
I believe this advice to focus on what works for you is clearly the best advice. I also believe it pertains to taking a break from writing, too!
What to do if you’re afraid to take a break…
I understand. The fear is real. What if you never regain your momentum? What if you never rediscover your motivation or inspiration?
I promise you. You will. First step to regaining inspiration is never believing you’ve lost it in the first place. Then there are some cool tips and tricks or strategies that I go to in order to help myself regain that fiery inspiration to get back to it.
Check out The Writer’s Nook Tip#9 for some good motivational strategies. You can find it here.
Conclusion
Don’t worry about stepping back from your work. It’ll always be waiting for you. And know that giving yourself permission to take a break is probably the kindest thing you can do for yourself. Undoubtedly, you will write more words, have less to edit, have less dialogue and scenes to rewrite, and progress farther into your plot, than if you kept plugging away, determined to “see the thing through.”
With this latter attitude, you might actually finish your novel more quickly than another writer, but you may also have a lot more rewriting, plotting, and editing to do.
In the end, the choice always lies with you, the writer! It’s whatever path you want to take. Lots of writers have a lot of different advice. Mine is only one of many.
As always, please take my exhortations with a grain of salt. Choose what works best for you because that’s exactly what you should do and what will serve you best.
Until next time…enjoy your novel. Take a break. Rejuvenate. And then return to your writing with more exuberance than ever before. God bless xoxo
