Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Signs you might need a break

I just got back from a lovely, relaxing vacation, and boy did our family need it! But we didn't even realize it till we got there. Our famiy is go, go, go. And keep going! Work through the pain, rub some dirt on it, and get it done. Well, that's me and the hubs anyway.

So when we got there, we actually relaxed. The muscles loosened. The schedule was: nothing! We played games, we cruised around on a boat, we actually ate meals together and we laughed, a lot. It was refreshing. And coming home, I had hope. I knew all the same problems would be there waiting for me, but now I have renewed energy to attack them.

Which brings me to my IWSG post. That's how writing or editing can be. We work, work, work. trying to reach a goal or make a deadline. But if we push ourselves too hard, the creative flow is lost. We need to take a break sometimes and work on other things, or just go experience life. Some feel bad for taking a blogging break - DON'T! We won't forget about you. Take all the time you need. Breaks are necessary! And social media is not a real break, come on now. Go out and live it!

Here are a few signs you might need a break:
  • you imagine strangers are acting out one of your scenes.
  • as you mumble while shopping, the vegetables in the produce section talk back.
  • it takes you several minutes to stand from the imprint in your writing chair.
  • when you look away from the screen, words are burned into your eyes and you see them on the wall.
  • you've read the same paragraph ten times because you keep nodding off.
  • the letters dance on the screen.
  • it's 8pm, your family asks when's dinner, and you say, "One more chapter."
  • you forgot what day, month, year it is...
  • you snap at people for making you lose your train of thought.
Are you experiencing any of these things? Then STOP WRITE NOW and TAKE A BREAK - even if it's just taking the dog for a walk or reading a book!

And speaking of a new book to read...
I also wanted to share Patricia Lynne's latest and last angel boy book - this is a great series! Check it out!

GABRIEL, Path of Angels, Book 4
by Patricia Josephine
Released: July 27, 2015

The end is in sight.

To stop Uriel from freeing Lucifer, Gabriel and his brothers must fall and go to Hell. It is a sacrifice Gabriel is not entirely ready to make. Will he fight alongside his brothers or forge his own path? There is only one choice.

Alexander doesn’t want to help Uriel nor does he trust him, but the angel has promised him a better life. He swore to protect Charlie, and he’ll do whatever it takes. When he meets the archangels and learns the depth of Uriel’s lies, he understands the true meaning of sacrifice. If there’s any hope of stopping Lucifer from being freed, Alexander, Charlie, Zephyr and Lake will have to get to Hell and help Gabriel and his brothers in the fight against Uriel.

The path is finally ending, but the price may be too high.


Patricia Josephine never set out to become a writer. In fact, she never considered it an option during high school and college. She was all about art. On a whim, she wrote down a story bouncing in her head. That was the start of it and she hasn't regretted a moment. She writes young adult under the name Patricia Lynne.

Patricia lives with her husband in Michigan, hopes one day to have what will resemble a small petting zoo, has a fondness for dying her hair the colors of the rainbow, and an obsession with Doctor Who.

Twitter ~~~ Website ~~~ Google+

And lastly,
I wanted to tell you all that I finally got my lazy butt into gear, or Elizabeth Seckman did! We along with our friend Beth Fred have started a domestic blog with tips, advice, recipes, and fun stuff for families and getting more out of life. We are...


Liz is starting us off with some posts this week about going to the beach. Stop by! We'll be looking for guest posters to share their own home grown advice and real life lessons.

32 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Congratulations on opening that new blog!
Breaks are good. I enjoyed mine last month. Of course, I can still read the same chapter several times and not know what it says.

randi lee said...

Agreed with Alex--though, sometimes I'll read the same SENTENCE ten times and not know what it says. Great "reasons for breaks." Had a good laugh this morning :-) So funny and witty....but so true!!!

Cathrina Constantine said...

Yes. We all need a break!!! Our review team had Pop Travel up on our blogs yesterday. Take a look. Loved the book, Tara.

Sarah Foster said...

Ha! I kind of wish I had those problems, though, because I've been on a writing break for WAY too long.
Congrats on the new blog!

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

Sounds like you had a wonderful time! I love the idea of that kind of "schedule." Ahhhhh.... :)

Good luck to you all with the new blog!

Christine Rains said...

Happy to hear you had a wonderful trip. I was glad to take a blogging break earlier this summer. I definitely needed it. Now I'm eager to get back into the groove. Once I catch up on things! :) Congrats to Patricia!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Considering I sit in the weirdest positions sometimes, I can relate to your third item.

Chrys Fey said...

Vegetables talk back. Haha! That made me laugh! A trip/vacation does sound nice right about now. I'm glad you enjoyed yours.

Thank you for signing up for my newsletter! :)

IWSG co-host Write with Fey

Crystal Collier said...

Woot woot for Patricia! I'm excited about your new blog, and I hear you about not burning out. That's a tough one right now. One day at a time, eh?

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Now that is what a vacation should be. I take reading breaks every day. And when I have a full day to write, I still take breaks for laundry and making dinner. Your advice is right on.
Susan Says

Carrie-Anne said...

Congratulations on your new blog!

It's also a good idea to take a break when you're just not feeling a particular story as much as you once did. There's no use forcing it through when you've lost the motivation and inspiration. A break does so much for rejuvenating and restoring that initial spark, and can make one hungry to get back to these characters.

Birgit said...

You are funny:) I am not sure I want to hear veggies talk back:) I have read chapters more than once and had a book, I was reading in bed, leave my grasp and hit me in the head. We all need vacations for sure and just spend time without any devices in our hands

Melissa said...

LOL - Love the post. So true.
Congrats on the new blog, too. :)

IWSG #119 until Alex culls the list again.

Yolanda Renée said...

Oh gosh, I've done almost all of those on the list at one time or another. I was so busy this morning that the first time I looked up and saw the time it was after 12 noon. I immediately went out to the garden and started pulling weeds. An entire half day was gone and I hadn't noticed.
Blog posts, flash fiction, comments - it is IWSG day!

Taking a break for lunch, bye!

Liz Blocker said...

LOL, yes, I need a break! Thanks for making me laugh today :) I'm so glad you got a vacation!

ELAdams said...

Haha, love that list. I'm at the point where I definitely need a break - luckily I'm on holiday next week! :)

Unknown said...

I agree - if you push yourself too hard, the creativity gets lost and depression can rear its ugly head. That happened to me last month. I took a break, and now I'm back to writing/revising again. Your break sounded wonderful! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Congrats to Patricia!

Heather M. Gardner said...

Breaks should be mandatory!
I can't tell you how many times I've nodded off with my hands on the keyboard!

I'm so glad you had a good vacation with your family!

Heather

Stephanie Faris said...

Wait...it's bad to not know what day it is? Since I started working from home, I have a hard time knowing whether it's Tuesday, Wednesday... Even Fridays often are a surprise to me!

Michael Di Gesu said...

Hi, Tara,

I LOVE you sense of humor! You have me hysterical.

Congrats to Patricia!

I just dropped a note to Julie Flanders... I would love to meet with you and her for a late lunch on Aug. 15... if that works for you. I still want my signed copy of your book AND I have to use my Kings Island tickets... LOL. I was so disappointed that In couldn't make it on June 21st.

Let me know if that works for you! I'd love to SEE YOU!

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Tara - that's great you had such a fun family time, but as you say during the rest of the year while 'normal' life goes on -it is essential to look after ourselves.

Good luck with all things .. and enjoy wrapping short breaks and longer ones into your year ahead .. cheers Hilary

Misha Gerrick said...

I actually needed a break when I went into my final prep for publishing my two books. The nice thing is that I got back into the blogging groove again, when I haven't been able to do so since last year. :-D

Rhonda Albom said...

Great advice. The one that gets me is "you've read the same paragraph ten times because you keep nodding off." Next time I will take a break. I did IWSG this month.

Anonymous said...

I think it's important, especially for us writers, to take a break and go out and have a vacation or adventure. Whenever I do, it reenergizes me and I usually can't wait to start writing. Normally, where I've been or what I've seen has nothing to do with what i'm writing, but I'm refreshed and that helps me be creative.

Also, thank you for the shoutout for the last book. <3 I'm sad it's over, but excited to get something new out now.

Susan Flett Swiderski said...

When you get to be an old broad like me, taking breaks can become addictive behavior. Hmm, then again, maybe that isn't such a bad thing, after all.

Sounds like your break was fabulous, and just what you needed to get your juices flowing again. Obviously, it must have worked, because now you've started another blog! Congrats! I hope you gals have fun with it.

Loni Townsend said...

Hehehe, fun list! I think I'd love the opportunity to spend that much time writing. I think I might need to take a vacation to do just that. :)

Sandra Cox said...

I love 'signs you need a break.' That is great.
Hmm, maybe a meme.......

Kate Larkindale said...

Taking breaks is always important. It's easy to lose perspective if you don't walk away from your work for a while now and then.

Nick Wilford said...

We all need breaks otherwise we would have no inspiration. Glad you had fun and hope you three have fun with the new blog!

Michelle Wallace said...

Great advice about having a break.
I'll pop by the new domestic blog when I get a chance...

(Enjoy your lunch with Mr. Blurb King and Julie Flanders on August 15th...)

Anonymous said...

Gabriel looks like a great read and I like the look of your new blog. I take breaks to recharge.

Melissa Sugar said...

Breaks are my salvation. Without periodic breaks I become a monster that my family hides from. Your family vacation sounds awesome. Doing nothing . Just spending time with family on boat rides with no agenda or preset schedule sounds like heaven to me.

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