Taking Time Out As A Writer

Writers Write creates writing resources and shares writing tips. In this post, we talk about taking time out as a writer.

Last night, I read an article about a British man who took time out to become a cobbler in a small Italian town — working on at simple trade and living a rustic life. He did that for nine months, before going back to his ‘day job’: the man was Daniel Day Lewis, the reclusive star of Gangs of New York and Lincoln.

Taking Time Out As A Writer

Not all of us are famous actors who can afford to spend time as an apprentice in a picturesque village, but the idea is a good one.

Sometimes we need to take time out from our creativity to, paradoxically, become more creative. It’s about renewing the spirit. In The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron calls this ‘filling the well’ — otherwise we become stagnant, blocked, or simply exhausted.

Any activity that’s repetitive and doesn’t require too much concentration is a great way to take ‘time out’ from writing —  you could go for a long swim, or take some time to sweep the leaves in the courtyard, or make a batch of preserves or cupcakes.

Take a break from Facebook and Game of Thrones

Sometimes it’s about taking a break from technology, books, movies, games and just observing the world around you from your own viewpoint.

You could take a walk to a dog park and observe all the different breeds, or spending quiet time alone — discovering just how comfortable you are with silence and with yourself.

Value your thinking — trust your own instincts

The idea of a break is to allow yourself room to breathe, to make space for new ideas and thoughts — all the great things you’re going to write about when you return to the page.