This will be a short blog post to emphasize the importance of taking a short creative break from time to time. Yesterday I finished part 2 of the book I’m writing and started part 3. The words had been flowing smoothly and then I stopped. I titled my new chapter “What happens next?”, and I realised I had no idea. I knew where the story was going, but I had no clue as to what I would write for this next chapter.
So I took a break. I did some exercise, and had a cup of tea. I played a bit of Diablo 3 (always great for getting the brain to shut up for a while), and read on my kindle a bit. Eventually I pulled out my notepad and jotted down some ideas for what is going to happen in part 3. One of those ideas took hold and grew into a monster (literally, in this case). I didn’t sit back down to write there and then, but let the scene unfold in my head, putting in details and tension, throwing characters into the thick of it.
This morning I sat down to write the first chapter of part 3. Less than 1 day ago I had no idea what was happening in this chapter. This morning I have written over 1,000 words in less than an hour. And it’s all thanks to taking a break and letting my mind work on it while I did other things.
