Taking A Break // When Writing Gets Obsessive

   So guess what's a weird post to be posting in the middle of NaNoWriMo? This post is. 

   Let's make one thing clear before I dig into this post - I'm not talking about NaNoWriMo here. I love all the hectic craziness of the month of November, it's so fun. NaNoWriMo (and ... pretty much anyone on a major deadline xD) is exempt from this post. I'm talking about those times when you've been writing so much that you can't stop, even when you're tired of it. I'm talking about how to take a break when you've become writing-obsessed (*cough* something I need to learn *cough*). 


   But how do you know if your writing has become obsessive?

1. Everything Is Dry  

 
   Your words are dry, your well of inspiration is dry, your plotline is dry - yeah, pretty much everything is dry. Your 'creative tank' isn't full anymore, and you're needing to figure out a way to refuel and got those creative juices flowing again.

2. Writing Isn't Fun Anymore

   So now you're probably thinking 'this could never happen!', but guess what - it can. Getting tired of writing happens to me when I've been writing like a madwoman for weeks and weeks ... and then everything just kinda starts to slide to a stop. I'm tired. The words aren't coming. All inspiration has gone *poof*. Thus, writing is not fun anymore xD.

3. Writing Is Stressful (...but not writing is also stressful) 

   This one is one of the biggest signs that you are over-obsessing about the need to write. If writing is making you stressed, but not writing is also making you stressed (seriously, this happens #me) because you feel guilty about not writing when you could be writing ... yeah, 'tis a problem. And it has happened to me quite often, so I would know. I am the queen of writing obsessively xD.  



   So, those are just a few ways to know if your writing habits have become obsessive. And do you know what you (and I, if I can convince myself about it xD) really need to do when this starts to happen? TAKE A BREAK. Even just a small break - just a couple days, or a week if you have the time - can work wonders. But I actually have a REALLY hard time forcing myself to take a break when I've becoming overly obsessed with writing ... so, how do you do this think called 'taking a break?'. 

1. Give Yourself Permission To Chill 

    This is actually the hard part. See the word 'obsessed' up there in the post title? Yeah, that means CAN'T STOP. I find it really, really hard to quit writing when I start obsessing over it ... even when, deep down, I want a break sooooo bad. So stepping back and giving yourself permission (or forcing yourself) to just chill and not go near a keyboard for a few days is actually hard, but breaks are needed, so DON'T feel guilty about not writing for awhile (#me). You have all the permission in the world to just chill for a few days.

2. Read A Book

   Read two books! Read lots of books! We're bookdragons - it's in our DNA to devour books twenty-seven books in one weekend. Find a nice, huge fantasy book to get your hands on, or a fluffy contemporary to breeze through. Perfect fuel to refill on <3. (and I've posted lists of books that are perfect for Summer and books that are perfect for Fall, so there's some quick recommendations for ya xD)

3. Work On A New Project

   Sometimes it isn't really a break from writing that's needed - it's a break from a specific project. Working on a new piece (maybe just a short story, or a piece of flash fiction), can kind of give you a breather from whatever you've been currently working on. Sometimes I'll purposefully work on two projects at once, so that I don't get all tired out. But switching projects really can help - especially if you're going from a serious project to a just-for-fun piece.

4. Take A Deep Breath

   Just breath for a minute. For a few minutes. Or a few days, if you need it. Sit back and watch a movie, take a walk, surf the blogosphere, or hang with that strange thing called family (yeah, they exist, too). Relax and do something you've wanted to do for awhile, but that you've put off because of the book you're working on. You are an epic little writing-creature - you deserve a break! Do something fun! Trust me, it'll be worth it ;D.


   And there ya go - all the ways that I get myself to take a breather when I desperately need one. And Thanksgiving is coming up super fast, so I'm going to convince the writer-ly part of my brain to chill for awhile so that I can just hang with family aaaall week. It'll be lots of fun xD. Have an epic Thanksgiving break, you guys - I'll see you after it's over!

~ Savannah Grace

do you get overly writing-obsessed sometimes? 

what do you do to give yourself a break?
have a great Thanksgiving, y'all!