Blogger: Wendy Lawton
Gulp! My blog is late getting posted today. I have to admit. . . I forgot. Clean forgot. I worked all weekend (after having been away and working all weekend for a number of weekends) and decided to take the day off yesterday and simply missed the rhythm of the week. *blush*
But taking a break is important, especially if you are a writer. If we don’t allow for a change in our lives our writing gets stale, we lose touch with our family and we risk burnout.
To some who work a day job that is less than fulfilling, writing may be your break. That’s when you can’t wait to get to your desk. That’s a good thing!
But sometimes those who are writing to deadline feel stressed and burned out. The best cure, of course, is a real break— a vacation, a trip to a museum or gardens or even a day of sailing, skiing or swimming. But that’s not always possible. Let’s think of some things you can do to take a break, even if you can’t take a real break from writing.
Here are some of my suggestions:
- Take a tea break in the afternoon with all the rituals of tea making, Use your best tea and your prettiest tea cups. Drink it somewhere other than your office. (Coffee will do except there’s not as much fuss required.)
- Go for a ride. This has always one of my favorites to “get the cobwebs blown out of my brain.” We have favorite backroads we visit in fall for the fall color and other rides for spring wildflowers.
- Do something you love to do that is rote– that allows your hands to be busy but allows your mind to rest. I know many of my friends knit or do needlework. My husband loves to tinker with things– fixing broken stuff. I always took clay and sculpted. There is something freeing in doing a familiar creative task.
- Bake something or cook something. Of course, this suggestion needs to be used with caution because writing is already a sedentary job. When you add food to the mix. . . well, you know.
Now what are yours? Let’s collect some mini-break ideas in the comments. What do you suggest for a mini-vacay from writing? What would be your dream get-away if money, time and responsibilities were no problem?
I’m with you on the tea. Something about the process: the brewing, the steam, the “doctoring up” with milk and cream– downright therapeutic.
This might sound odd, but in this season of my life, folding laundry is a sort of break for me. As you said, it’s rote. I can watch a movie while doing it, resting my mind while not feeling guilty for “wasting” time on the t.v., since I’m being productive. There’s a definite beginning and end to the task, and I can see my progress. Sometimes– silly as it seems– I think we just need to see something measureable that we’ve accomplished… even if it’s just laundry. 🙂
p.s.– one of my favorite quotes: “Taking time to live your life will only inspire your work.” Thanks for the reminder, Wendy!
Great quote!
For me, it’s not folding laundry but doing household talks is sooting and allows my mind to roam. But you are oh, so right about measurable accomplishments!
A break? What’s that?
😉
I have a few select TV shows I watch. I usually watch them online after they’ve aired (I use Hulu) so that I can reward myself in the evening with an hour of that if I get all of my writing and work done for the day.
If we’re talking about stuff that doesn’t require much brain stimulation, though (since TV gets me thinking about writing, because, well, it’s telling a story!), I like to sit and watch my dogs play together. It’s cute, entertaining, and requires absolutely no brain power.
Lindsay, I do the same w/ Hulu (and/or Netflix). And you’re right, it does help that when we’re watching stories unfold, we can be studying our craft. 🙂
And watching television shows with a writer’s eye is valuable. Lately I’ve come to the conclusion that I hate back-and-forth chronological jumps– whether in writing or in TV. Where did I solidify that observation? This week’s Hawaii Five-O.
Lindsay, that’s the reason I’ve always loved using Apple TV. I don’t miss anything and I watch when it’s a good time for me.
I drive my husband crazy when I pause a show (most recently Downton Abbey)and pick apart a character or give my two cents about what might happen next. I can’t seem to stop myself.
Mini-breaks include getting a cup of tea, a quick game of Boggle on the PC, and walking the dog (when she isn’t demanding one from me). If I really need a break, I’ll leave the house and actually go to a movie instead of watching one on TV.
One of my dream vacations would be to go back to Oxford and take another class. The last class I took at Oxford was on murder mysteries which included Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Dorothy L. Sayers. I love Agatha Christie’s mysteries.
I would also love to go to Tibet or Bhutan someday too.
Lori, I love your dream vacation. Oxford and Dorothy L. Sayers? Oh my goodness. I am a huge Dorothy L. fan. Uses to belong to the Dorothy L. society, (Note to self: Thou shalt not covet thy friend’s vacation.) I also love Agatha Christie and am a fan of the BBC Miss Marple dramas and David Suchet Poirot series. *kindred spirits*
When I was a kid my mom regularly watched the Mystery series on PBS. The intro, with Edward Gorey’s artwork, was so enigmatic (although I doubt I even knew what that word meant at age 10).
You would love Carolyn Weber’s fantastic memoir Surprised by Oxford.
I like to do some mindless TV watching or magazine reading. I also go running with friends after our kids are in bed. We can exercise and talk at the same time 🙂
I’m glad you mentioned magazines. Those have always been mini-breaks for me. I’ve been a subscriber of Victoria magazine since its inception all the through the rebirth. When my Victoria came, I’d always take an hour to sit and immerse myself in those image-rich pages.
As to running. . . well. . .
Victoria! I remember poring over my mom’s copies as a child. I cut up images from one of them to make a cover for my 8th grade report on Jane Austen, L.M. Montgomery, and Louisa May Alcott, cross-stitching the title to go in the middle of the collage.
In college (post-Victoria-era-1), I thrilled to find back issues in my university’s used book store and bought a stack for 10 cents a copy. Glorious reading on a college student’s budget! When I found out they were bringing it back a few years ago, I was ecstatic.
Wendy go ahead, it’s okay be a normal girl who got caught up in life and needed to stop the world and get off.
Speaking of breaks, I’m right in the middle of re-finishing an antique!! Wooo!!
Another kindred spirit. Though I don’t like refinishing I do enjoy antiques and antiquing. The nice thing about the shabby chic or the country antique movements are that they gave us permission to live with the dings.
I’m going to get one of the new mini-iPads as soon as the 4G ones release but I was tempted to go buy the cover now so I could paint it. I decided I needed a less generic cover but you can’t beat the Apple cover for functionality so I’m going to customize it with acrylics. 🙂
Just so you know, I am currently feeling the effects of furniture stripper. My crit partners begged me not to email ANYONE while under the influence.
What do you like to paint? For some reason, I’m envisioning big cottage roses.
And unicorns.
So is that what the picture on Facebook is all about? I was starting to worry about you…
Yup!! I was in my garage. I’m refinishing a mahogany credenza/sideboard for a charity auction.
Music! Playing a piece on the piano or popping in a CD or cueing up Pandora or practicing choir music. Music taps into a different part of the brain, giving my logical writer-brain a rest. Dancing is good, too–gets the blood flowing. Having the freedom and privacy to dance is one of the perks of working solo. 🙂
What an interesting idea. Dancing. I’m not a dancer but I’m guessing it would be a great brain exercise for a number of reasons. Sounds like a great article for a writing magazine, Jenny.
Oh! When I was *younger* I LOVED to dance. Imagined huge audiences applauding as I swooped around the living room. It was one of my favorite things to do!
I have an affinity for aerobics. There’s something about cranking up the music, and busting a move by myself. Since I’m not very coordinated, or the owner of a flattering line of exercise clothes, being alone is imperative.
Believe it or not, I find that housework is a good break. A single task like sweeping, or washing the kitchen floor, or maybe cleaning the tub is what works best. It requires no mental stress on my part, and I can feel I’ve accomplished something.
I’m with you. There’s something about the mindless repetition that is satisfying, lets you see an immediate result and allows your creative side to work out problems with the writing– either actively or subconsciously.
What is it that old McDonald’s ad used to say? “You deserve a break today.” I try to take a break, even if it’s just a tiny one, once a week. Today, I treated myself to an episode of Murder, She Wrote.
My break is usually cleaning, but I enjoy it–most of the time. Right now, I’m cleaning out the basement; passing along items we no longer use to the church’s tag sale coming up after Thanksgiving, and perhaps making room for that finished basement we would love to have.
Thanks for making me feel less than guilty about my breaks. 🙂
That kind of cleaning– organizing and sorting– is definitely cleansing. If I am really stuck on a project or a problem nothing helps like cleaning out a closet.
Ahhh, that’s what rejuvenates me–organizing. Our family clutter is beginning to drive me crazy. That is a break for me, though, lately, writing has been what I’ve done when I take a deliberate break–tis the season to be busy. 🙂
Wendy, I have a favorite road near me I like to drive too. It’s full of big, rolling hills, horse pastures, and empty fields or mini forests. I love it.
We just took our first real family vacation. We usually go home to visit our families eight hours away, but I still have to help cook and clean up and do the laundry. This time–I just did two loads of laundry and wrote while I waited on it.
I was amazed at how much that helped me! I really had no idea what a difference it would make. I came home so refreshed and caught myself smiling as I grocery shopped.
But that’s a once a year thing maybe. For me, getting away with a good book does it. I’m reading Siri Mitchell’s Chateau of Echoes for about the fifth time. Love the details and sensory images and pace of that book. It’s like a mini-vacation to France whenever I get a few minutes.
A good book is how I get away.
Amen! Part of my break yesterday was digging into a new book, Laura Franz’ newest, Love’s Reckoning. Couldn’t put it down until well after midnight. I have Chateau of Echoes but haven’t read it yet. Sounds like I need to remedy that.
I just finished Laura’s book. It’s her best yet. Can’t wait for the next book.
I take a long shower. Or a walk with my camera. 🙂
For me it is a long bath– I have one of those spa tubs. I call it my think tank. I end up combining things: a bath, a book a cup of tea.
I like the way you think. 🙂 I used to love the bath and the book. I haven’t tried a cup of tea at the same time. Hmmmmm. My tub is calling me.
Yes!!! I love a long, hot bath in the evening. With a good book, of course.
Heaven!
I love tea time – especially when I use my china cup and saucer. I think of women sipping tea the same way through the years and ideas for a story come to mind.
For me, the best way to take a break from writing or housework is to sit down at the piano and play hymns while dwelling on him!
I don’t play piano but I’m with you on the value of worship in letting us see things in whole new light. That’s a break that truly refreshes.
A break? I read other people’s words. Love Laura’s books. Love Laura, too.
I also homeschool a 5th grader so sometimes my writing IS my break 🙂
We also garden, ride bikes, and hubby loves to go for drives, especially this time of year with fall colors and snow on the mountains.
Usually for me, it’s curling up in my favorite chair with a good book. And the best part about that is that I get to talk about what I’m reading in my book reviews on my blog – so then I don’t EVER feel guilty for reading! It’s work, right?
Blessings,
Becky
Isn’t that the truth. That’s one of the best things about blogging, we finally get to talk books with people. Before the internet, reading was way too solitary.
and gardening! Love it. Once we get past winter, spring is coming!
Watching a video with my whole family. I love story, so that fits. I love being with my family, too. Over the past couple years I’ve spent many nights writing, but recently we found a TV series at the library that we now watch in the evening together as I take a bit of a break. It’s been great!
You are in that great time of life when family time is such a rich break. some days I wish I could have a do-over. Being in the empty nest stage when my family gathers from all parts of the country, it really is a break. A lot of work but a great break.
My dream getaway without money and time constraints would be a month in an English cottage and an unlimited rail pass. I would spend my days gathering research, sipping tea, and touring castles and the beatuful God-created English countryside. My evenings would be spent reading and writing. Ah, to daydream!
I’m with you Carole. A few months ago I went as far as to look up English cottages on VRBO (vacation rentals by owner). Oh my goodness. The possibilities.
Sometimes I watch “the Holiday” *just* to spend a vicarious hour in Kate Winslett’s English country cottage. Dream home…
This is great! Love the tea break idea! Im going to have to try that.
My father loves to tinker and fix things too:-)M hubby is also good at it. And I love to bake and anything that allows me to be creative. Great post!
I used to be a died-in-the-wool coffee drinker but I realized I was missing out on all the ritual connected with tea. I switched to green tea and have not gone back to coffee. My current two favorites: Mighty Leaf’s Green Tea Tropical, Tea Forte’s Green Mango Peach. Mmmm.
I like Numi teas the best. Their Morning Breakfast and Earl Grey are two very good black teas. Their Jasmine Green and Mate Lemon are two very good green teas. All their teas are organic.
Writing is often what I do when I have a break. But, I love a walk on a blue-sky day, and I enjoy scrap booking. Playing a game with my boys is also a fun quality time family sort of break.
Writing-as-a-break is one of the reasons not to quit your day job. I remember when I worked all day and tried to steal time for writing. There was nothing I craved more.
Traveling, definitely! My husband is a college professor, so we travel about five weeks out of the year. New sights and new people invigorate body and spirit. My dream vacation would be either Ireland or Switzerland. The hills are alive and all that. 🙂 There’s just something about a deep breath of clean mountain air. When I’m not vacationing, I either dream of future vacations or reminisce of past vacations. Travel shows and nature videos are also great.
What a perfect partner for a writer– a husband who needs to travel. You are blessed.
Hi Meghan!
Five weeks of traveling…that sounds wonderful! 🙂 I wish I had more time now to travel, but my full-time job holds my schedule pretty tight.
I would love to hear some of your travel stories. I actually have a travel blog where people share stories on Fridays. I’d love for you to check it out. (www.pensonaworldmap.com) 🙂
I love to garden. There’s something about the smell of fresh dirt that really calls to me. It’s also fun to watch the miracle of new life growing from a seed. Of course, with this last snowstorm (25 inches in three days!), it’ll be a while before I can do that again.
My other way to take a break is to go snuggle next to my husband. It doesn’t matter what we do, just being with him calms and rejuvinates me.
Don’t you think it is healthy that so many of commenters mention time with family? The perfect break!
Ann, do you, like me, talk to yourself and your plants while immersed in the shrubbery? Being at eye level with insects and hummingbirds is captivating.
Bent low over flower beds, this unkempt, curly head of mine…
I’m going to be a weirdo here and say that to totally decompress, I play video games. Often I play w/my son, just to see how much I stink in terms of aiming a gun, not getting myself killed, etc. He beats me every time.
But chilling w/my husband and watching whatever Netflix series we’re working our way through is also fun. We’re finally caught up on “Once upon a Time” and almost caught up on “Psych.”
Heather, I’m with you on the video games! Sadly my youngest is getting pretty good. He gets me more than I get him.
Dog walking. Thistle expects to go for a walk as soon as I get home each evening. She pretty much forces me to take a break. And it’s a lovely way to transition between day job and evening family/writing/relaxing time. You know, unless it’s snowing/raining/blowing in one ear and out the other. Funny how the family member with fur on her face doesn’t seem to think the weather matters . . . Of course, it makes tea even more delicious!
Oh, my goodness. Wendy, do you mean agents aren’t perfect and you actually forgot something? That’s amazing!
When I need a break I walk the dog or escape into a good book.
Oh yeah, dream vacation? Australia. All of it.
Then I’d fly to Vancouver, rent a semi-trailer and hit every single antique store from Vancouver to my front door in New Brunswick. Which is about 3000 miles worth. Then I’d put up a massive wedding tent and re-finish antiques all summer!
Oh, and I’d have a steady supply of cheesecake and chocolate pate going for my visitors.
*Disclaimer-I am seriously hopped on fumes right now. If I come back and read this tomorrow, I may just faint from shame. But at least I think I know what I wrote…
Count me in as one of your visitors! Cheesecake? Chocolate pate? Antiques to be worked on?? I’m coming. 🙂
So Canada is where we want to go antiquing, eh?
And Jennifer, keep using the “fumes” excuse. It covers a multitude of sins. 🙂
Hahahaha!! Has anyone noticed that I’ve only used the fumes excuse TODAY?
The rest of the time, I’m just sorta air-headed. Or sunburnt. Or jet-lagged. Oh wait, then there’s altitude sickness…
And yes,Wendy, Canada is GREAT for antiquing. All the United Empire Loyalist history and European immigrant history around here would make you weep with all the goodies!
And let us NEVER forget the VIKING history in Canada, my dear. Or at least in Newfoundland, which may or may not be Canada. As you know, I’m a bit Canada-illiterate…
Ummmm. Newfoundland IS in Canada. And has been since 1947. Ish. Or was it 1749? Whatever. It’s on our map.
But it’s pronounced “NOO-fin-lan”. Mess that up, and you can’t get a visa to Canada. Seriously.
I find a 30-40 minute walk with Jim Brickman playing on my ipod helpful. His music is so inspiring; it seems to open up the creative center of my brain. And getting the body moving gives the circulatory system a boost, with fresh air and sunshine a bonus. In fact, it’s a very nice day here, so I think I’ll finish up and head outside.
I’ve only known Jim Brickman at Christmas when he hosts the Sirius Christmas channel. I’ll have to look him up.
Have you ever heard The Piano Guys? Glorious music. And gorgeous videos. This one is particularly refreshing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgaTQ5-XfMM&feature=relmfu
Goodness, Lori, I could listen/watch them forever. Thank you for sharing. I think I’m heading to iTunes now.
I just heard about the Piano Guys. Thanks for sharing the link!
Mini-break: Rearrange furniture. Drives Hubby mad!
Dream get-away: I would LOVE to do a tour of Ireland and follow the family tree through the generations -the annoying money/time thing keeps getting in the way.
You are far more energetic than me. I never ever change the furniture. Once it’s set, it’s there forever.
And yes, the money detail is more than annoying.
Me, too! I love to rearrange furniture. I have to do it at my office, though. My husband likes things where they are ; )
I like making jewelry. I love playing in the beads, sorting through colors and textures.
I like to take a break every afternoon with a little snack and maybe a few minutes of a show
I recently recorded. And when I’m stuck on something I’m writing, housework helps my mind to figure it out subconsciously.
But if I could take a real vacation with no limitations, I’d go to Hawaii or the Caribbean.
I think I am a little slow in this response but I still wanted to add my thoughts. I like to do something hands on creative. Once upon a time this was usually sewing, scrapbooking, or my photography. Now with three little ones at home. My creative side often involves finger paint, fort building, and just tickle time.
I do miss sewing and my scrapbooks are way behind but I decided everything has a season and if I wasn’t to take time out of my life to write I need to make sure the free time is giving back to the family and kids. Not to mention, there is nothing quite as much fun as your three-year-old begging to be tickle and then begging for you to stop and again…and again.
…I wonder if I should take a break from my blog today? It sounds inviting.
Wendy, you mentioned going on rides. This was a favorite pastime of my family. We called them country rides, and we made it a point to find a soft serve ice cream joint in the small towns we drove through. In your neck of the woods, we would visit the bird refuge near Los Gatos. Birdwatching is one of my nerdy hobbies now.
I would love to visit an area that has a very different natural environment than where I live in the SF Bay area. Central America, Turkey, New Zealand, or parts of Canada. I’m going on a research trip to the Florida Keys next year for my WIP.