Working Writers: The 10 Commandments For Taking A Break

Alicia Sparks — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 13:00:20 +0000

It's a nice, well-rounded number, as far as commandments go.

This Labor Day weekend will be the first time I’ve left town since the Fourth of July.

(For something other than dentist appointments, library runs, and trips to the Salvation Army, I mean.)

So…it’s been roughly two months.

That’s not exactly sad, but when you consider the underlying fact that it’s been just as long since I’ve taken a break to recharge and, consequently, boost my creativity, it goes from “not exactly sad” to “okay, this could be bad.”

You see, I believe everyone – especially creative folks like writers, musicians, and artists – can boost creativity by taking a break; stepping away from their work for a little while and focusing on something else while their brains recharge. So, as a working writer – who also has ongoing fencing matches with multiple short stories and a “novel” (hilarious) – if I’m not taking a break every now and then and fostering creativity, I’m hurting my livelihood and any future boosts to my published credits.

So, damn it, I’m taking a break, and I suggest you do the same.

Now, there are certain rules – or commandments, we’ll call them – when it comes to taking a break. You can’t just say, “I’m taking a break!” and spent the next eight hours on Twitter. That is not how you take a break; that is how you waste eight hours of your life.

(And, for clarification purposes, let’s just go ahead and say a good healthy break is anywhere from one to three days. Anything longer is pretty much vacation time; anything shorter, a nap.)

No, in order to properly take a break – one that will recharge your mind and help you boost creativity – you must follow these 10 Commandments:

1. Thou shalt not think about thy work.

This one will be tough, and probably will take a few hours – and maybe the entire first day of your break – to master. Do try to master it, though. Allowing yourself to spend any significant amount of time thinking about work while you’re taking a break is only harming your own ability to refresh and recharge.

2. Thou shalt not talk about thy work.

The only exception to this commandment is answering the question, “What do you do?” Ignoring the person or changing the subject will raise questions about your current mental stability. Answer the person (then ask about his or her occupation, if you feel so inclined), and move on.

3. Thou shalt not check they e-mail.

The Writing Gods of Break Taking advise you to:

Send an e-mail or otherwise contact all your current clients to let them know you won’t be available for the next X Number of days.
Setting up an autoresponder letting any potential clients (or long lost aunts) who e-mail you during your break know that you’re not available and you will return their e-mail when you can. You might even include a note about when you will return, because hey – potential clients will wander off elsewhere if they can’t get what they need from you.

4. Thou shalt not log on to Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or any other social media account.

There is no wiggle room here. Stay off.

5. Thou shalt not converse with thy muse.

Unless she has something super ridiculously important to say (and by that I mean, “Hey! I finally have the next chapter of that novel you’ve been working of for three years!”), let her be.

6. Thou shalt not make lists.

You can’t spend your break planning your work schedule for when you return. If you need to make a to-do list, make it before your break. All those little tasks will be waiting for you when you get back.

7. Thou shalt not perform any sort of housekeeping tasks.

You haven’t had that folder labeled “Potential Story Starts” in any sort of organized fashion since you created it. What makes you think NOW is the time to tackle it?

8. Thou shalt not answer any work-related phone calls.

The Writing Gods of Break Taking don’t really see any reason to listen to voice mails, either. You’re only going to be a way for a few days – they’ll keep. (Plus, you told your current clients you’d be unavailable. If you answer, you make yourself a liar.)

9. Thou shalt seriously consider leaving they laptop at home.

Yep, this is the only “shalt.” If you don’t have faith in your ability to follow the other commandments, one of the best ways to help yourself is to leave your laptop, external hard drive, and any other electronic gadget you use to access work-related items at home.

10. Thou shalt not say “Screw it!” and cut thy break early.

The only time this is acceptable is if you break one of the other commandments and find out your writer’s resume impressed some higher up managing editor and you’re being offered a full-time writing position with the kind of salary or hourly rate you never dreamed you’d make as a writer. Even the Writing Gods of Break Taking understand this.

But only then, sinner – only then!

Did I leave anything out? Feel free to add to the commandments in the comments!

WritingSpark.com Relaunch!

Alicia Sparks — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 04:25:51 +0000

WritingSpark.com is not a new site; it’s actually been around for quite a while. So, it’s more of an old site with a new look…

…and absolutely no archived posts to date.

What can I say? I was a bit overzealous when I wiped the slate clean.

I was also a bit overzealous when I started WritingSpark.com.

For some reason, after having been a freelance writer and editor for a handful of months, I thought I was in a position to offer advice to other freelance writers and editors. Most of the people I befriended during WritingSpark.com’s maiden voyage were other freelance writers and editors – much more seasoned freelance writers and editors, mind you, who managed websites and blogs that screamed talent, knowledge, and experience.

Sure, I had talent when I started this site. I like to think I still do. And yes, I had some knowledge, too.

But experience? Actually working as a writer, and not just writing because it was my passion?

Next to none.

After a few more months, I decided to put blogging at WritingSpark.com on hold while I gained some more experience. So, as I worked writing and editing just about everything under the sun, this site became a static writing and editing portfolio. For a while, I was okay with that. There was actually a point at which I thought I’d just let this site act as my online portfolio for…well, ever.

After all, I was busy with writing and editing. The busier I stayed, the more experienced I became. The more experienced I became, the more jobs I landed. The more jobs I landed, the more money I made, and at this point, did I really have time to blog about “The Top 7 Ways to Screw Yourself Out of a Writing Gig” – regardless of whether I’d learned them all?

Yes, actually, I did. More than time, I had the desire again, and – this time around – the experience, too.

So, here I am, blogging at WritingSpark.com again.

Of course, “time, desire, and experience” isn’t exactly the most effective way to explain to someone why I gave the site a complete overhaul and what I expect to do with it.

These days, it’s crucial for every writer to have some sort of web presence. Not only should this be a place where he or she can direct potential clients, showcase experience and samples, and connect with other writers, but it should also be a place where the definition of his or her true niche in the business shines through.

Writing is my niche. Within that niche, of course, are little sub-niches. Press releases, newsletters, blogs, marketing articles, sales materials, web copy and content – each of these is within my niche.

However, what really defines my niche is a huge part of what WritingSpark.com is all about: My desire and ability to take my own ideas, the ideas of clients, and the ideas of fellow writers and set them ablaze.

So, that’s what I do.

Turn sparks into fires.

Welcome aboard

Alicia Sparks

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Working Writers: The 10 Commandments For Taking A Break

WritingSpark.com Relaunch!