A Writer’s Secret Weapon is Knowing When to Quit

How to quit without giving up.

Have you ever gotten stuck while trying to write a piece of content?

I know how you feel. You’re jamming away writing and then you hit a wall. There is more you want to say, but you don’t know how how to say it. You stare at your screen for a few minutes, then you go back and re-read what you have already written hoping to clear the path forward. Nothing.

Then the answer hits you in the face–you’re a terrible writer.

I’m only kidding, but that‘s one of the many lies your brain will fabricate when you are stuck. You’ve experienced this, haven’t you?

When I have difficulty moving forward in my writing I use the old tried and true tactic. I quit.

The Only Way to Succeed

Some people say you should never quit–or “quitting is for losers.” I disagree.

As a writer, you should quit more often because–in my experience–you have to quit so you can succeed.

As writers, we often get stuck in our heads trying to figure out how to make progress on our current project. You come to a heading, a chapter, a sentence, or even an entire article and you do not know what to write next. That’s when things get dangerous.

You can fall into a downward spiral and spend hours staring at your screen. Or you can quit and move on to a section, a chapter, or a sentence you know how to write. Sometimes the best way to solve a problem is by walking away.

Why does it work? I’m glad you asked.

A Writer’s Most Powerful Tool

When you are writing, your brain is consciously trying to figure out your problems. When you hit a writing wall, your conscious brain is no longer able to help you. What can you do?

I’m convinced becoming a successful writer requires you to learn how to trust your subconscious mind to get unstuck. If you think that sounds hard, you’re right. Sort of.

The subconscious mind is not within your control, that’s the bad news. The good news is your subconscious mind is hard at work making connections and recognizing patterns. When you walk away from where you’re stuck in your writing, something interesting happens.

Your conscious mind hands your problem over to your subconscious. While your brain disengages from the problem, your subconscious is working everything out for you. Later, when you return to writing, you will be able to see your problem in a new light.

While you were away, your subconscious mind was sorting everything out with no effort on our part. Later, when you return to writing, your subconscious pushes the solution forward into your conscious mind.

Sometimes it is best to quit writing for a while and let your subconscious work out the kinks.

A Word of Caution

There is one thing you should know before you quit. This only works if you come back later and keep writing.

The danger in walking away is that you allow Resistance to settle in and convince you that you do not have what it takes to be a writer. You beat yourself up then wait a week before you start to write again. Sure, you may finish what you started but you will continue to run into the same wall if you let too much time pass.

The more I write, the more I see the importance of writing on a schedule. I know, you’ve heard it a thousand times before, and from writers much more successful than me. But it’s true, the more you write the more creative you will be.

If you quit writing and walk away to get unstuck, make sure you have a scheduled time to come back and pick it up again.

What Every Good Writer Knows

Every good writer knows when to quit.

It’s ironic, but quitting prevents you from giving up. It is easy to get discouraged when you have something to say but you get stuck. If you stay in your head trying to figure out your problems, they’ll defeat you and you’ll be in danger of giving up on writing forever.

Stepping away works wonders on creativity.

Instead of beating yourself up and giving up on your writing dream, quit for a little while and let your subconscious sort things out. Just make sure you get back to it.