A Defense of Breaks or How To Alleviate Writer's Guilt

Sometimes I just don't feel like writing. At all. This might sound like writer’s block to you. It isn’t. This is when there’s nothing wrong with the words. They’re sitting there in whatever metaphorical place we like to use when thinking about our words and writing. They’re in my brain ready to go, and there’s nothing stopping me from reaching for them with my writerly hand. Nothing except my motivation, (or lack thereof) that is.

Why do I feel like this? This feeling, which right now is a nearly irresistible pull to my couch, occurs every few months or so. I’ve decided it’s simply my body and mind’s way of telling me I’m working them too hard. Right now, I’m coming off of two or three “good writing weeks,” during which I probably wrote over 7k words a week, so maybe I’ve earned the right to take a break. Breaks are good, right? They give us a chance to recharge, rejuvenate our energy and motivation levels, and ultimately make us “fall in love” with writing all over again.

I know this about breaks. I use them for that purpose--and also because I really can’t resist the couch’s pull. This doesn’t stop me from feeling guilty about losing a “writing day,” however. There are a few ways to remedy this, though.

Sometimes non-writing days can be great research days. On any given day, there are over fifty books on my kindle in the collection labeled “research.” There are also two or three piles of books strewn around my room that are designated research for various projects.

Of course, sometimes the writer’s fatigue is really word fatigue, so reading is out of the question as well. Then what? Reading and writing practices make up over 90% of my waking hours. At that point, a nap is looking pretty good. Also, it may be a nice time to go for a walk.

Another option is visual research. Maybe there’s a tv show or movie with intelligent dialogue you’d like to emulate, or a particular subject matter you’d like to explore in a writing. Watching these may help move some words along--whenever the writerly urge returns.

This helps alleviate my guilt, making me feel like I haven’t completely lost a day. Also, when I’m really exhausted, it’s pretty hard to care enough about anything to feel guilty. The guilt comes later, and I tell myself I spent the day rejuvenating my writerly muscles and researching--adding scope and strength for later. My characters (or projects) will be grateful.