Why do writers go on vacation? What good is a day off? What does a break accomplish? I mean, as writers or authors, we’re doing what we love as often as we can. So why do we need to get away?
Maybe you will notice that I didn’t post a blog yesterday. That’s because I took a little overnight breather from my office. I did something other than write for a change. I spent an entire twenty-four hours without writing and without being involved in promotion.
Now I can’t say that I didn’t think about these things while I was gone. But when I did, it was from a new geographic location (outside of my office) and it was from a new perspective. Have you noticed that you sometimes get your best ideas for plot, character development, new articles or promotion when you are doing something other than sitting at your computer in work mode? Where are you when you get some of your better ideas—the shower, on a road trip, on a walk, in the garden, hiking a mountain trail, at the park with your dog or your kids?
So even a brief get-away can be a positive thing for your writing business, right?
It’s Sunday. What are your plans? I recommend that, if you are a full-time writer and you’ve been working hard all week, you give yourself a time out today. Go out and fly a kite, pull weeds, push your child in a swing, do some yoga or simple stretching exercises, watch an old movie, watch the birds gather around your feeders or sit and do nothing. Better yet, get out of town. Take a drive, plan a picnic at a nearby lake, visit a museum or wander around at a farmers market or other community event. Don’t think about your story or the task of book promotion. Just be. And do this for at least an hour—more is better.
When you return to your computer, either hours or even days later, you’ll find that you’re fresher. You may even be brimming with ideas and the energy and renewed excitement to implement them.
Yes, discipline is important to the success of a freelance writer or author. We must keep strict hours. But it is also good for our projects and for our well-being to give ourselves breaks. You have my permission.
Now I’m going out for a long walk and then I have some squash seedlings to plant.
When you get back to your project, you might consider ordering my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. It will guide you through every aspect of your book writing, editing, publishing and promotion.
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html
Many of you have read some of my writing/publishing-related books. Now enjoy my books of a different flavor. Here are my recommendations: Catscapades, True Cat Tales (brand NEW) and Quest for Truth—a memoir. If you’re interested in a first-time experience in the Middle East, read my book about my trip to Dubai. See them all here: http://www.matilijapress.com