V is for Vacation

This year for the A-Z Challenge, I'm attempting to act like I know what I'm talking about and offering advice about writing.  Let's see how I do!

Also, don't forget to stop by the Parallels blog to see more posts about the upcoming anthology, which will be available on May 3rd!

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Writers can go through stretches of great output, and these prolific times can result in lots of wonderful stories.  They can also, occasionally, result in burnout.  The words stop coming.  The story stalls, and you feel like you’re drowning.  You may find yourself at the point where you feel the pressure to write something even though you’d rather yank your hair out by the roots and run through the yard screaming.

This is the point where you need to set things aside and walk away.

I’m not saying that you should walk away forever.  You should, however, allow yourself the occasional vacation.  Writing, like any other job, requires a little downtime so you can recharge your batteries and enjoy the other parts of your life for a time. This could simply mean enjoying some time at home with your family.  It could involve a short day long road trip to see something interesting near where you live.  Or it could actually involve some kind of extensive travel.

Whatever you do, try something new that interests you, even if it’s something small, and have fun.  Afterwards you can return to your writing rejuvenated and with new ideas.