Take A Breath

Hi there!

It's O'Abby.  I guess you have all been so busy writing your NaNo books this month, there was no energy left for questions.  But that's okay.  It gives me a chance to give you all a really important tip for when you're finished NaNo.

Breathe.

That's right.  Take some time out.  Pause.  Let yourself rest.

NaNo is an intense period and most of you will probably have been juggling a punishing writing schedule with your day job, school, family commitments and everything else life likes to throw at us.  If you hit your 50K, congratulations.  Good work.  If you didn't, it's not the end of the world.  Even if you crawled to 12K over the 30 days, that's still 12K you didn't have on 31 October.

Unless you're writing MG, 50K probably isn't a finished book.  The way I see it, there are two choices at this juncture.  If you feel like you're on a roll and doing NaNo has set you up with some good writing habits, maybe you want to keep going and finish that book.

Go for it.  That's the right choice for you.

If the last ten days felt like you were dragging each word out of the world's deepest, thickest bog and you feel like you don't have the energy to even lift the cover of your laptop again, that's your body and your mind telling you to take a break.  You're not going to write good stuff when you're trying to pull water from an empty well.  You may never finish if you're feeling this way.

So take a break.

I like to leave notes for myself at the end of what I've already written so I can remind future, well-rested me what I'm thinking about the story at this point.  Where I go with it when I return may not be what I think now, but it can still be helpful, especially if, like me, you tend to skip around the story a lot while writing, often leaving gaping holes where I couldn't figure out how to get from A to B.

Take as long as you need to rest.  With the holidays coming up, you might find you need until next year (it's not as bad as you think - next year is only 30 days away).  Whatever you do, don't lose confidence in your story.  Go back to it.  Finish it.  You were passionate enough about it to spend 30 days writing, so you owe it to yourself to finish.

If you need a pep talk to help you through, let me know in the comments.  I have your back, whatever you choose.

How All Work and No Play Kills a Manuscript

I'll admit, I've struggled with what to blog about this week. I was going to one about editing, but realized I'd already done that. I was going to post about creative inspiration from my Hawaii trip, but Aimee already did such a good job of that with Alaska that mine seemed redundant in comparison.

But perhaps I can do both--with what I learned in Hawaii during the limited hours I dared to hand-edit the last chapter I'd hacked to bits. It fell completely flat, and made my character a distant carbon copy of herself.

I'd been working on it too hard to notice. Unwilling to take breaks for fear I'd never get the revisions done.

It took getting me out of my routine, and putting me in a setting with lots of ocean, rainbows, and a touch of yoga to knock some sense back into me. Give me the perspective I needed.

And I realized the reason my scene fell flat is because my character literally had a gun in her pocket--and wasn't using it. In this scene, she needed to do a lot more than just sit there.

So when I got back home, I re-wrote the scene, splicing it together in the sequence it was meant to go, and had her hold that gun to someone's head, for goodness sake. I don't know if I'll keep it as is, but for now, it's enough to move forward with the rest of my revisions.

Another thing the time and space in Hawaii gave me was the realization that fun is not only a necessary part of writing (and living) but it has to be a priority. Even if I have to manually write it out on my to-do list. Staring at the Pacific Ocean, with its waves rolling in, reminded me that there is a whole lot more to life than being hyperfocused on work. And that being too driven actually hurts more than it helps.

So, instead of feeling guilty for the week I spent barely writing or revising, I feel blessed that it allowed me the space I needed. And if that doesn't help me remember not to work myself to death, perhaps these pictures will:

So what is your limit? What are some signs that tell you you've been working too hard?

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

I know what you're thinking. What does Earth Day have to do with writing? Well, the answer is nothing if you look at it from a purely environmental perspective. But today, I want to use the idea of Earth Day to remind writers that there's a lot more to life than staying inside and focusing on your work.

As we all know, writing can be a very solitary profession. It's easy to get caught up in a new world you're building, or characters you're creating, and forget about everything else in your life. Personally, I know how time can get away from you as you sit at your desk and allow the words to flow out of you. One moment you look at your clock and it's 9 am and what feels like only moments later, it's lunch time.

Even if you're on deadline though, you need a break. Time to rest your mind (and fingertips). So I recommend today not only be a day to celebrate the beauty of the Earth, and how we can protect her for future generations, but to stretch our legs and minds beyond the confines of our home/office and computer screen.




Now I'm not saying to stop writing completely (yes, I need to edit desperately today too) but what I AM suggesting is you take a moment to enjoy the day's beauty. Take a ten minute walk. Pack a lunch and go to the park. Jump on your bike and take a quick tour of your neighborhood. Whatever you choose, use today as an opportunity to get out of your head for a while and enjoy the serenity around you.




Even the most brilliant of writers need down time, and what better day than today to enjoy the new blooms, fresh air and a chance to reboot your mind! Your body, and your creative mind, will thank you for it!