A Day Off
I took a day off writing today. I can't believe it, either.
Seriously - I write pretty much 24/7, whether it happens to be on a novel or a short story. On days when I'm feeling tired or under the weather and need to take a break, I feel guilty for not working - especially when I've set deadlines or personal goals.
The guilt is self-imposed but impossible to ignore - and being a workaholic doesn't make it any easier.
Why do I feel this way? I've always been hard working. I've always been afraid of wasting time. And I've always connected my self-esteem to my productivity.
I reason that if I don't work hard every day - constantly giving all of myself to a project - then someone else will do it before me. I even think - albeit, dramatically - that somehow, I'll get my 'writer card' taken away.
But some days you really need a break. It's necessary once in a while to rest your brain, recuperate your thoughts, and just relax.
Even though I'm not physically writing, I'm still thinking, dreaming, and brainstorming. Those things are underappreciated aspects of writing.
My book is still going to be there tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that. It's not going anywhere - and neither am I. I don't have to finish it quickly, and there's no set rule for long it should take you to write a novel.
In my experience, creative people - like writers, painters, actors, and so forth - are some of the hardest working people on the planet. We push ourselves to work harder, better, faster, and it enables us to experience burn out and exhaustion. We compare ourselves to other writers based upon how slowly we work in contrast to them.
(I plan to write a blog post on how comparing yourself to other writers is one of the worst things you can do, but I digress.)
I had a million things to do today - laundry, grocery shopping, and the dreaded act of cleaning the house. I haven't been sleeping well either, and needed to catch some extra z's.
My brain might not like it - and I'll feel guilty about it all day - but I need some time to myself.
And that's okay. If you're a writer who's taking a day off (or even longer than that), don't beat yourself up over it. Remember - sometimes doing anything but writing can be helpful on your writing journey.
It's during this time that you'll think of your next great idea. Creativity is a funny thing - it creeps up on you when you least expect it.
Take care of yourselves, writers. Self-care is so important to stay sane.
You might not be writing today, but it doesn't mean you're going to stop forever! You'll get back to it eventually, but for now, take the day off.
Enjoy a nice meal, go for a walk, read a good book, or spend some time with your loved ones.
You deserve it.
Sincerely,
Dana
Seriously - I write pretty much 24/7, whether it happens to be on a novel or a short story. On days when I'm feeling tired or under the weather and need to take a break, I feel guilty for not working - especially when I've set deadlines or personal goals.
The guilt is self-imposed but impossible to ignore - and being a workaholic doesn't make it any easier.
Why do I feel this way? I've always been hard working. I've always been afraid of wasting time. And I've always connected my self-esteem to my productivity.
I reason that if I don't work hard every day - constantly giving all of myself to a project - then someone else will do it before me. I even think - albeit, dramatically - that somehow, I'll get my 'writer card' taken away.
But some days you really need a break. It's necessary once in a while to rest your brain, recuperate your thoughts, and just relax.
Even though I'm not physically writing, I'm still thinking, dreaming, and brainstorming. Those things are underappreciated aspects of writing.
My book is still going to be there tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that. It's not going anywhere - and neither am I. I don't have to finish it quickly, and there's no set rule for long it should take you to write a novel.
In my experience, creative people - like writers, painters, actors, and so forth - are some of the hardest working people on the planet. We push ourselves to work harder, better, faster, and it enables us to experience burn out and exhaustion. We compare ourselves to other writers based upon how slowly we work in contrast to them.
(I plan to write a blog post on how comparing yourself to other writers is one of the worst things you can do, but I digress.)
I had a million things to do today - laundry, grocery shopping, and the dreaded act of cleaning the house. I haven't been sleeping well either, and needed to catch some extra z's.
My brain might not like it - and I'll feel guilty about it all day - but I need some time to myself.
And that's okay. If you're a writer who's taking a day off (or even longer than that), don't beat yourself up over it. Remember - sometimes doing anything but writing can be helpful on your writing journey.
It's during this time that you'll think of your next great idea. Creativity is a funny thing - it creeps up on you when you least expect it.
Take care of yourselves, writers. Self-care is so important to stay sane.
You might not be writing today, but it doesn't mean you're going to stop forever! You'll get back to it eventually, but for now, take the day off.
Enjoy a nice meal, go for a walk, read a good book, or spend some time with your loved ones.
You deserve it.
Sincerely,
Dana
Comments
Post a Comment