I’m back from vacation.
No, I didn’t go to Tahiti or Aspen or anywhere fun. I was right here, but I did take a vacation. From writing.
I haven’t written one word since Friday and, I’ll admit, saying that sort of makes me want to break out in hives. But, it just so happened that a bunch life speed bumps collided with the dreaded middle of my WIP and, well, a break was in order.
I decided that if I forbid myself from writing for several days I would come back wanting to write. And you know what? I think it worked. And since my break was less than a week, I’m trying to force myself to feel relatievely guilt free.
The break allowed me to think (without writing) through the rest of my plot. Think through what was at the core of my story and also refill my creative well by reading, watching TV, and altogether letting loose.
Last night, I did take out a notepad and drew a chart of my “Three Acts.” My CP had told me about plotting books like a three act play. So I decided to think about the three acts of my book. Act I should end with something that raises the stakes. Act II should raise the stakes even more. Act III should be the climax and resolution.
I did this with the main plot of the story last night. I’ve written over half of this book so I have a good idea of what’s going on. But there were a couple stakes raising events that I was missing. I briefly worked on sketching those out last night. I plan to dive back into writing tonight.
Therefore, you have more weekday warrioring to look forward to!
Have you taken writing vacations? Were they helpful or hurtful?
For the most part, yes.
Except mine were half vaca’s. I stopped writing stories and concentrated on the blog. Afterwards, I would go back somewhat rejuvenated and be able to move forward with my projects.
Glad you’re back at it feeling refreshed and ready to take it on!
funny you ask – i am taking one now. Line edits here by tomorrow and then I dive back in. ONly my vacation consists of reading (books and blogs)
I’ve taken writing vacations. I have to be careful though; if I spend too long away–like more than a week–I have a hard time getting back into it.
Yay Chan! Proud of you for taking that step back. I’m glad it gave you time to brainstorm and such.
I take such breaks frequently, probably every 6K or so. Kinda scary! And I don’t think I could take them quite as often – or for as long – if I had a deadline. But it works very well, for me. I tend to write best if I have time to really brainstorm and delve deeper into the story.
My only issue is that I have trouble staying excited about upcoming scenes for more than a few days, so If I wait over a week to write what comes next, my mind moves onto future scenes. You have to be careful how much time you spend away.
Anyway, I’m rambling. Glad you enjoyed the “vacation.”
-Mandy
Congrats on getting back in Chandler. I’ve taken writing vacations occasionally when I feel stuck and I need something else to boost my creativity, but, like Dara, I make sure it’s not too long or I find it’s hard to get back into the story. I’m a write every day person, because I find the story flows so much better when I do. I wrote my first novel in pieces, constantly revising, for a couple years, then I finally settled down, stopped revising and started writing every day. I finished my novel and did revisions so much faster.
I’ve found the best writer vacations for me actually involve me writing something different instead of not writing at all. I had a difficult part in my first novel, and after struggling with it for a while, I put it away and started writing a new novel idea I had had. A couple weeks later, I went back to my first novel and was able to sort out the problem. Now I’m almost finished with the novel I had started during that vacation.
Great to find your blog through Market My Words. I’ll add you to my blog roll and Google Reader. Good luck with your WIP.