Why You Might Want To Take A Writing Break

Resistance is a funny thing.

It looks different for everyone, but its purpose is always the same: to keep you from writing.

But what makes it funny is that sometimes the resistance is actually right. Not the parts of it that scream lies about your ability or your worth, no. That’s always wrong.

Sometimes, though, the resistance that keeps you from writing serves a purpose that ends up being surprisingly… helpful.

It may not seem so at the time. When I recently had a seven-week stretch of not being able to work on my novel, I definitely did not see how it could be helpful to have a break from writing.

In fact, the longer I went without working on my manuscript, the more frustrated I felt with myself. Instead of feeling like a good thing, the internal resistance felt pretty awful.

All I could think was how far behind I was falling, how many details I was forgetting in my story, how much longer it would take me to finish the draft once I started up again.

Yet every time I tried to work on it, the resistance won.

For a couple of weeks now, I’ve been writing my novel again. It was a bit of a process to re-enter the story, but now that I’ve got a grip on it, I’m making headway and feeling better about the last couple of months.

Not writing was, in fact, a positive thing. Here are my key takeaways that could help you, too.

Resistance Might Be A Signal To Slow Down

It can be hard to tell exactly what message your resistance is sending, but in my case, it was a clear sign to slow the F down for a minute.

Think of it like mental brakes. Sometimes you need to tap those suckers a little bit and ease off the intensity of forward motion.

I’m big into accomplishing things. I love a good list and I love being productive and crossing things off that list. So you can imagine how hard it is for me to feel stagnant.

At the time of that “stagnation” though, I was dealing with some health issues that were causing me a lot of physical pain, loss of sleep, and a huge dip in my mental wellbeing.

The last thing I needed was the added pressure of finishing a novel.

Taking a break from working on it actually meant I wasn’t forcing the writing when I wasn’t in the mental space to think about the novel.

A Break Is Refreshing

On one hand, I like to stay as close to my writing as possible so I can avoid the whole re-entry phase. It always feels like slogging through waist-deep mud the first few times I work on a long-forgotten piece.

But on the other hand, having seven weeks away from working on my book felt like a reset.

I didn’t stop writing altogether. I still wrote blog posts, newsletters, and freelance pieces. I even lightly revised a short story I want to send out. 

I just never sat down to work on my manuscript during that time, and after it stopped feeling like weeks of wasted time, it started to feel like a breath of fresh air.

What I mean is, once I opened the document again and re-read the last chapter and a half that I’d written back in April, I realized the story wasn’t as messy as I thought and I wasn’t as stuck as I expected to be.

In fact, not worrying about plot or character development or subplots or the name of that person back in chapter four gave me a mental reset with my story.

I usually save this kind of thing for after a draft is complete, but it’s not a bad idea to give yourself some space from the text in the middle of writing it if you need to do that.

There Are Other Ways To Be Creative

Maybe your resistance is a cue to try something else for a little while until you make it back around to your writing.

There’s nothing wrong with putting writing aside for a little bit and flexing your creativity muscles in new ways.

In my life, some examples include learning to knit something I’ve never knit before, making jewelry, learning modern calligraphy, reading books I wouldn’t normally pick up, binging podcasts I love, spending more time with friends or family I don’t see often enough, refining my wardrobe, or even giving myself a great manicure.

You’re not a failure if you’re not writing.

You’re not doing something wrong as a creative person if you put your energy towards something else.

Tune into your resistance and listen closely. Is it telling you there’s a legitimate reason to take a break? Could it be possible that writing isn’t what you need right now?

Maybe. Trust that eventually you’ll make your way back to your writing and there won’t be much lost besides a little bit of time. 

What do you do when you feel like you can’t write?