Story discontinuation- a passionate writer’s worst fear. Taking breaks becomes your enemy. Any thought of discouragement scares the hell out of you. Working on your story without any breaks may go over consideration of your mental health. Are you even enjoying writing? 

     But before publication problems and impostor syndrome, a writer’s worst nightmare in the drafting process is often the thought of giving up your book. Where would all that hard work, witty ideas, and sacrifice go? If you find yourself staring at a blank document, you might have the urge to take a break and sort out writer’s block. But you can’t. You’re afraid that if you take a three day break, it becomes a week, a month, you might go to the shop to buy some milk and never come back to your work (sounds familiar?).

All your progress would be gone. The characters that felt so real, the plot that meant so much to you. Would they be gone if you took a writing break?

     First of all, let’s see where this fear comes from. It’s more common in newbie writers, usually due to lack of completion in projects. Or your current project is longer and it may not be like anything you’ve ever done before. There’s going to be some insecurity involved there. Going on a break feels like it’s a temptation you should avoid. But that’s not true. Here are a few mindsets most writers with this problem face. Let’s sort this out together.

1. ‘’Breaks are harmful for my productivity!’’

       What if you enjoyed the break so much and don’t come back? As much as this is a vast possibility, let’s clarify that breaks don’t have to end this way. Oftentimes, those who decide to quit their work because of breaks are those who already wanted to quit. They were looking for an excuse- one disguised as a break. For the sake of your mental health and wellbeing, do take a rest from your writing project if you're burnt out.

        Get used to the thought that breaks can even provide to your story, they're supposed to be a burnt out writer’s friend. If you keep the passion of your story going, breaks won’t tempt you to stop. It’s not to blame for the real reason writers do stop, such as you’ve lost motivation for your book. Or if you're looking for something else to put your energy into. If these don’t apply to you and you genuinely need a break, then treat yourself to it once in a while. It can freshen your mind and give you a better perspective of your book.

2. ‘’Breaks will cut off my inspiration.’’
 
       Wasn't that a reason why you wanted to take one in the first place? Breaks can even inspire ideas. Sometimes, the ways you can find ideas for your story is by trying to live without it and finding ideas from that world. You might say, ’’but ideas pop out of thin air! I don’t even know where I get inspiration from!”’

    The truth is, if you’re not aware, you may be subconsciously looking for inspiration already. Writing is easier if it’s about a topic you already know, and what do you know more than your own life? Sometimes breaks are simply a wake up call to tell us, ’’hey! Remember that personal life you had before writing ate you up? Well, get back to it a bit, it’ll give you ideas!’’

3.  ‘’I might extend my break and never come back!’’

    It's a possibility that a one day break could lead to three days. By then you’ll think, ’’what’s the difference if I could make it four days?’’. And by your fourth day, you’ll think,’ ’it’s almost the end of the week, why not turn my break into a week?’’. And from there, everything comes crashing down and your precious manuscript becomes unfinished.

How can you prevent this from happening and take a restful break at the same time?

    First of all, don’t leave your manuscript in a place where you would have know idea where to continue it after. This is the worst possible way to take a break. When you do go back from it, you’re most likely going to be ready for another writer’s slump. Great.

      You could work on a future scene that you’ve been looking forward to writing about. Then, you could leave it off at the part where you know more or less what’s going to happen after.

    That way, you’ll be more enthusiastic to go back from a break. You can leave it in peace, knowing you know what’s going to happen to your story while you’re away from it. If this can’t be possible, try to keep the mindset that when you get back to writing, you’ll find ways to get back up. If you’re so concerned about these, the passion is strong. That’s something no one can take away from you.

      And please, please don’t worry too much on your break. You deserve it once in a while! When you get back and fear lack of motivation, you could try to work on a scene in your story that you’re excited to write. Now on to number 4..

4. ‘’Í'll be so much less productive after returning from a break!’’

     Did you have a proper break, then? They're supposed to recharge you, you’re supposed to be feeling energized and eager to go back to your story. Not run away screaming from it. If that’s how you feel, you might be taking breaks the wrong way. 

      Are you spending your break worrying about a thousand things? It might not even be about writing. Your break  might not be as restful because you have other things to worry about. That’s not how you should be taking breaks at all. So get yourself a real rest, away from your hectic schedule. Things that may involve other parts of your writing career. or even things outside of it. Hopefully, the first few numbers here already gave you an idea of how to take a break in peace.

     As for the mindset of breaks making you less productive, think of it this way. You’re going to be if you force yourself to write when your mental health is crying, begging you to stop. A lot of authors suggest that you should write even if you don’t feel like it. This may work for you when getting out of a slump, but take note that this is different from breaks. More often than others, needing a break isn’t because you’re stuck. That shouldn’t be your main reason.

What did you learn from number 3? If it's possible, then separating yourself from a story that you know where to go on from is very commendable.

 
Now, ‘’how do I know If I need a break anyway?’’

    If you abuse your health or withdraw from your loved ones to cope with stress, that’s a big sign. If you have difficulty focusing, lack energy and sleep, the list goes on. Or frustration in things that didn’t used to irk you, that's another sign. By this time, you should know how to deal with taking breaks and how to do them the right way. Somet‌hing to do instead of crying in burnt out misery all day long, not knowing what the next step is. And don’t worry, once you’ve had a fulfilling break, get your pen ready! Your entire story will be waiting for you!