Editorial Op-Ed | Of Reading and Writing
Illuminating the Need for a Writing Downtime
Writing can be interesting, fulfilling, and fun. As with all activities we love, we do need to pull back often so we do not exhaust our passion and go beyond the proverbial Point-of-No-Return.
Dear Writers,
Another crazy week has passed.
You may struggle to write while coping with life’s curveball. To top it up, there are many curveballs, each flying in opposing directions concurrently.
A few will push through. A dear friend of mine has her medical surgery scheduled for tomorrow and will be in rehab for the entire week that follows. She is working doubly hard to complete her work plus writing in 7 days instead of 14.
That is stressful. We have to dial back for our own sanity.
Our minds function like a rubber band. We have to stretch the boundaries of knowledge and skillsets, for sure. Whenever we stretch out too far, we snap.
I do feel so from time to time. That is because I push the edge of my envelope almost daily. As a writer, I have come far. It is easy for me to say this because my earlier writings were … beyond description. One year of writing has taught me humility and self-improvement.
Life is indeed a marathon. When this one ends, the next one begins.
And marathons do have pit stops. There are drink stations every 5 kilometers and massage tents near the finish line.
Use them. Re-charging is not a weak man’s game.
The reverse is true.
Only The Brave Ones dare to rest. I dare you to take a break from your writing routine. This week’s newsletter explains why.
Editor’s Pick
“No matter what you do, you need to have a system to keep track of these ideas. The better the system, the better you will be able to access these ideas. And the better you will be able to find the next big thing. Or simply find a thing.”
First, taking a systematic break allows us to absorb new sensory inputs we have never given a thought to.
When it comes to writing, we cannot just continuously extract. We have to read. Only then we can fill our minds with good ideas for future extraction.
“Once I started on Medium, it was more professional… I know I have to adapt if I want to continue my passion, but it is very frustrating when I put my article into Grammarly, and it says 54 suggested corrections and sometimes more! It’s painful going through every click making corrections that I am unsure if it’s needed!”
If you write as often as I do, you will share a love-hate relationship with your tools.
Do me a favor. Leave your tools aside for once. You will feel lighter on your feet. You will run again.
“A few months ago P.S. I Love You already closed its doors because Medium pulled the plug on fundings. The editors chose it wasn’t worth their time to continue. A few weeks ago, Tom Kuegler announced he’ll shut down ‘The Post Grad Survival Guide’ for all submissions.”
Kristina God | One of Medium’s Biggest Publication Is Closing
Closure of publications may demoralize you.
It happens. Businesses open and shut. The publication that you work hard to enter may decide to pull the plug and bid adieus.
I was taken aback and disappointed when The Ascent decided to close. I worked hard to get my work published there.
That said.
Take time to appreciate how you actually got there. Your writing must have improved by leaps and bounds. Tale a break. Give yourself a pat on the back.
You have improved tremendously.
In short, take time to rest a little. There is sunrise and sunset.
“I hope you had a good week and are giving yourself a bit of me-time today. I went to get a massage this week and despite the masseuse pushing and pulling, kneading and rubbing; at the end of the session the masseuse said, “mada.” This means not yet in Japanese. I was still kind of stiff from weeks of sitting in the same chair from 8am to 7pm while working every day.”
Summary
I hope you enjoyed this week’s newsletter.
There is no harm in taking pitstops from the work we love.
Rest a little. We will go further.
All the best to your writing endeavors.
Dr Mehmet Yildiz Liam Ireland Maria Rattray Carol Price Karen Madej Tree Langdon Agnes Laurens Claire Kelly Britni Pepper Dr. Preeti Singh Josh Balerite Acol Noorain Hassan, BMS Geetika Sethi John Cunningham Dew Langrial Editor of Technology Hits Zen Chan JS Adam Regi Brittain Esther George
Resources from Previous Editorial Op-Eds:
If you find this editorial op-ed helpful to your writing journey, you may uncover more gems in the previous op-eds written for the benefit of ILLUMINATION’s contributors and readers.
- Illuminating the Editor’s Dilemma: What We (Really) Do and How We Can Do Better
- Illuminating the Way to Overcome the Writer’s Silent Disappointment
- Illuminating A Potential Structure for an Effective Writing Week
- Illuminating the Way to Become a Better Writer with Composure
- Inside the Minds of Editors: What We Look Forward to and Look Out for
As a content contributor, I write my observations from daily life and my business exposure. Because our life experience is the bedrock of our unique perspectives.
