4 March 2021: Writing Break
If you caught my Sunday Writing Goals for this week, or my Monthly Goals & Content post (both on Instagram/Facebook), you may have noticed that I'm taking a break from writing for now.
You may ask, "Why a break, Alaura? You haven't been writing all that much to begin with, so what do you need a break for?"
Well, to be quite honest, I need a break from the guilt of not writing. By expecting myself to get a certain amount of writing done and then facing creative block, I'm setting myself up for failure and to feel guilt about not reaching my goals. Rather than set myself up for a self-inflicted pity party, I've decided not to set any writing goals for my stories in hopes that it'll recharge my brain for April but, as always, there's no guarantee.
Here's the thing: people put so much emphasis on writing every day or on having a consistent writing schedule, and while that may be useful for many people, that's not always realistic. If writing is causing you stress or affecting you negatively, it's okay to step away. It's okay to say, "I can't do this right now."
What am I doing instead? I'm going to focus on filling my "creative well," a phrase that I first came across via @meganbethdavies of The Writer Community on Instagram. From what I gathered from her post, the "creative well" can be filled with anything that helps you become a more well-rounded artist. It's broad and allows for a lot of flexibility as to what you consider helpful to your creative process, and I love it!
For me, I'm going to be focusing on the following:
Writing poetry - my goal for the month of March is 5 poems, but if February is any indication, that goal can easily be surpassed! Focusing on crafting language is integral to poetry, just as it is with prose, but it's a lot less burdensome to write poetry than it is to muddle through a troublesome plot. Yeah, it's technically writing, but it's different in my head. Less brain power needed.
Plan the April newsletter & exclusive content for March - some writing required, but, again, less brain power. I'll take it.
Preparing for Camp NaNo - April will be focused on diving back into the writing, so I'm hoping to untangle some messy plot lines during March. I may end up taking an extended break from "Rory & Boone" to finish writing "Endeavor" but that's yet to be decided.
Finish craft book notes - this goal is somewhat related to preparing for Camp NaNo in that I will be using the strategies from the books in order to fix the plot issues I'm currently struggling with. Whoever said graduating school meant the end of homework is a liar.
Editing - it may not be for one of my own stories, but editing is essential to learning how to craft language in an effective way. By working on the editing project, I'm strengthening my own writing skills! I hope to finish the chapter I'm currently on, but we shall see how my motivation holds up as the month goes on.
Edit April podcast episode - a different kind of editing, but the conversations are all about writing, so at least I'll have craft on the brain!
Reading - this isn't an official goal, but if I'm doing less writing, hopefully I'll be able to get some more recreational reading in throughout the month. Of course, Make Me Read! is on March 20th, so I'll definitely be reading then, but I'd like to get more than one book read for the month, if possible.
So that's the plan!
Will I do everything I want to do? Unclear. All I know is I'm glad to be giving myself a break in order to fill my creative well.
How will you fill your creative well?