Taking a Creative Break

Summary

Christine Graves discusses the importance of taking creative breaks to prevent writer's burnout and maintain productivity.

Abstract

Christine Graves, who has been participating in a daily writing challenge, acknowledges the necessity of occasional creative breaks to maintain her writing quality. Despite missing two consecutive days, she doesn't consider this a failure but rather a strategic pause for her brain. Graves emphasizes that daily consistent writing is often recommended, but she finds it essential to switch her creative focus periodically. She shares her personal methods for rejuvenating her creativity, such as crocheting, coloring, and engaging in mundane chores. These activities allow her mind to wander and explore new ideas, which she believes is crucial for overcoming writer's block and burnout. Graves invites others to share their strategies for preventing creative burnout.

Opinions

Graves believes that it's acceptable to take breaks from writing to avoid burnout.
She opposes the common advice that writers must write every day to be successful.
Engaging in different forms of creativity, like crocheting and coloring, is seen as beneficial for mental rest and idea generation.
Mundane tasks are viewed as opportunities for the mind to wander and develop new concepts.
Graves acknowledges writer's block and burnout as real challenges that can be managed with proper self-care.
She values the community's input and is curious about other methods for sustaining creativity.

Taking a Creative Break

It’s okay to give your brain some time off

I’ve been doing a daily May writing challenge with Amy Marley. I was doing very well…until I wasn’t. I missed not one, but two days in a row. However, I’m not going to count this as a fail. I’m chalking this up to needing a creative break.

I’m always reading that in order to be a good writer, you need to write consistently every single day. I can’t do that and I’m sure I’m not alone. I have to give my brain a rest and let it go to a different place once in a while. I need to redirect my creative output.

I’m one of those people who needs to change up my forms of creativity. I wrote, edited, and posted each day for a little over a week. But then my creative well went dry. I had to replenish my supplies by working on something totally different.

One of my tricks is to crochet. I’ve been crocheting for well over 20 years and find it’s a great way to let my mind wander. All the work is being done by my hands and, once I get into a groove, there’s not much thinking to it. My mind can wander off and explore some new ideas.

Another way I replenish my creative energies is with adult coloring pages. Remember when you were a kid and as you colored the pictures in your books, you’d create a story in your mind about what was really happening on those pages. Turns out, it still works. I’ve always loved coloring and don’t think I’ve ever stopped since my childhood.

My personal favorite is doing a mundane chore. Making my bed, doing the dishes (by hand), sweeping the floor. Not one of these activities requires a lot of brainpower, so I can get lost in thought while getting stuff done. Some of my best ideas, both fiction and non-fiction, have come while doing my housework.

I’ve suffered from writer’s block and burnout. I’ve let them control me and I’ve learned to control them. I know that I’ve got to give myself a creative break from time to time in order to be able to keep doing what I love. And I love being a writer.

Writer’s burnout is a real thing and it sucks. It’s important to give the brain a chance to relax and find new things to focus on. What do you do to keep from getting writer’s burnout? What other ways do you find to keep the creative flow moving without losing your mind? Tell us about it. I’d love to know what else can be done.