As writers, we like to write as fast as we can and as much as we can. We often don’t know when it’s time for us to stop. We keep pushing ourselves and pushing ourselves until we can’t go anymore.

We give ourselves burnout.

Burnout is caused by continuously trying to write when you are out of mental energy or motivation. It’s the equivalent of driving on fumes. You can’t expect to finish a road trip if you floor it the whole time. You’ll need to stop and refuel a few times.

Let me tell you something from my own experience—it’s very hard to come to that realization and understand when you need to stop writing. We often get stuck on the mentality that if we just push through it will get better. But instead it just gets harder and harder until we just give up.

While there certainly are times when we just need to force ourselves to write, prolonged difficulty in our writing could be a sign of a bigger issue than just writer’s block.

“But taking breaks is silly,” you might say, “it’s easier to just ignore the struggles and just keep going. I’ll stop when I finish my project.”

Resting is essential for writers. Even if you think you can make it, if you are really struggling, it’s good to set aside your work for a bit. However, resting might seem counter-productive to the more driven of us writers.

But there are things you can do while on break that can refresh your mental energy and refill your writing “gas tank.”

Read

It’s very important for writers to read because it allows them to see what other people have written. Sometimes reading a book will spark an idea for fixing an issue in your writing. It is also relaxing and can take your mind off your writing problems for a while. (I do not recommend reading as a form of escapism.)

Be Creative

Many writers have found that doing something creative outside of writing helps rejuvenate them from everything from writer’s block to burnout. I like to crochet and play my instruments. Doing these activities helps take my mind off writing for a little bit and helps me to restore some of my mental energy. You could try finding a new hobby, baking a batch of cookies, or even taking your dog for a walk.

Watch TV

When I’m struggling with writing, I’ve found that watching movies refills my “well of inspiration,” so to speak. Movies and TV shows allow you to see stories in a different way than you do when you’re reading a book. When you’re watching TV, you hear the soundtrack and see the special effects, which, unfortunately, are not in books. But those details add to the story. You might notice how in a fight scene the camera focuses in on a particular detail and then get an idea on how that might help you next time you are writing.

I know some people (including myself), who can bounce back after a couple days. But fully recovering from burnout might take weeks or even months.

The key is patience. Give yourself grace and don’t pressure yourself when you aren’t ready.

Taking breaks will help you to write better and more efficiently. Stop to re-fill your tank. Otherwise, you’ll stall out on the highway.

Oliver’s Travels!

A few weeks ago, we talked about my dog Reese who loves squirrels. I compared her obsessive focus on the furry beasts to a writer’s tendency to chase “squirrels” when he should be writing.

You can find that post here!

Today I’d like to address another problem that has come up in my own life. That is the subject of “not-squirrels” or things we think are distractions but actually aren’t.

God and Church

Do you know how tempting it is to skip or shorten your devotional time so you can go write? This particularly becomes a problem on busy days. It won’t really hurt anything if we skip it for just one day, right?

But church, quiet time/devotions, prayer, worship, etc. are NOT distractions for writing. Your faith is a million times more important than writing.

In the end, how much you’ve written won’t matter. Your faith will.

The happiness you find when writing is nothing compared to the joy you have in salvation in Christ. Don’t take it for granted.

School

Whether you’re in college, private school, homeschool, or public school, it’s very easy to see doing homework as a waste of time.

While we see benefit to literature and English classes—they directly influence our writing—other subjects, such as math, science, government, economics, history, and music don’t seem to be very helpful.

“How will knowing how to find the log of 15 help me with life? What do I care if Joan has a savings account with 1.2% interest compounded annually? Who cares?” That was my attitude towards math.

Even if there are subjects you hate, you still have to do them. Don’t slack on school so you can write.

This is coming from a master procrastinator. Since I was homeschooled, my mom made my writing part of my assignments. So I’d spend all morning writing then I’d be stuck with an afternoon (and early evening) of economics, Spanish, science, and all the other things I didn’t want to work on.

Yes, writing is important, but if you are a student, your school needs to come first.

Family

Spending time with your family is—guess what—more important than writing in the long run. You’ll be around these people for most, if not all, of your life. The relationships you have with them truly matter.

Take opportunities to hang out—watch movies, play games, go on a day trip. These life experiences actually will strengthen your writing.

Don’t mark these things off as “squirrels.” Because they are not-squirrels. These things matter. Don’t take them for granted or view them as burdens. They will shape and form you as a person and as a writer.

Oliver’s Travels!

Words have rent nations, formed alliances, changed history forever. Two words bind one man and one woman in a covenantal relationship until death. They can build people up and they can tear them down again.

Words have power.

An immense power, even greater than that of an atomic bomb.

James talks about the untamable tongue in the third chapter of his letter. He compares it to a fire. Flames can provide heat to warm us and cook our food. But they can also consume entire cities.

See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. -James 3:5b-10

People handle fire with reverence and caution. But we throw our words around like grains of sand—unimportant and insignificant.

When we speak or write, we are handling a volatile asset. Every post on social media has the potential to inspire someone. Yet at the same time, if we aren’t careful, it can cause division between friends.

“When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.” Proverbs 10:19

We’ve all be told to think before we speak. But how often do we think before we write?

Whether written or spoken, all words have power. The ancient words of the Bible are just as important as they were when they were first penned.

Next time we are tempted to lash out with our words, we must stop and think.

We have great power at our fingertips.

But we must use it carefully.

Our dog Reese has a concentration problem. If food or a toy is involved, she’s all ears. But when it’s time to go outside for you-know-what, every single thing is a distraction. Birds. Bugs. Kids screaming at recess. Power tools.

Squirrels.

Those furry little creatures have captured her attention for countless hours. We often find her at the patio door, watching them scurry around.

We all have our squirrels. Things that might be good, but take our attention from what really matters. Whether that is school work, Bible study, or writing, we need to learn to deal with and eliminate distractions.

I get easily distracted by my writing community. There’s nothing wrong being on a social media, in fact, it can have great benefit. But when it distracts you from what you should be doing, you have a problem.

Another internet sinkhole I’ve fallen into is research. A simple search of “How tall is an eight year old?” turns into hours of Googling ways to survive a bear attack. Very important to know when you spend most of your time indoors. 😅

How do you deal with the distractions of a computer/phone/tablet when you need to write on it?

Tip #1: Write on paper.

Writing on paper isn’t right for everyone. And you certainly can get distracted using a pencil. There’s nothing magical about this method.

I find that it helps me to concentrate on one project and keeps me from editing as I go.

Tip #2: Turn off the internet.

Disconnect yourself from Wifi. Turn on airplane mode on your device. Get an app like the Freedom App (I haven’t used it before, but I’ve heard good things about it).

Sure, you can easily turn it back on if need be, but if it’s simply to scroll through Facebook for “just a minute” or to look on Pinterest “for inspiration,” you might find yourself deciding not to click the “on” button. It’s a little reminder of what you should be doing.

Tip #3: Write before surfing the web.

Make checking your email or social media a reward for completing your writing for the day. Tell yourself you can’t watch your favorite bands’ music video until you meet your word goal for the week.

Tip #4: Make a research list.

Instead of stopping writing to look up how far a horse can gallop before it drops dead, make a note about it and keep going. You can go back and add in the details later.

Just remember to actually look things up when you’re done writing!

Whatever you decide to try, the only to way for it to work is for you to stick to it. Hopefully you won’t get distracted by squirrels any more.

Hey look! A squirrel! *runs off*

Oliver’s Travels!

When I was younger, I don’t know where I thought books came from. I remember being frustrated that the next book in a series wasn’t out yet and that I *gasp* had to wait.

When I started writing, I was under the impression that real writers sit down at their computer with a cup of coffee, type up a couple chapters of perfect prose, and finish their book in a week or so.

It all seemed so simple. I knew how to type. I knew how to construct sentences. I’d read a bunch of books. How hard could it be?

Really, really hard.

And if you, like me, have believed the lie that writing is easy, I want to encourage you with this truth:

Writing is incredibly hard.

Super encouraging, right?

Writing isn’t for the fainthearted. Just like learning an instrument, it takes dedication, passion, and persistence.

Some days I’d rather clean the bathroom with a toothbrush instead of writing. Some days all I write is trash and deserves to be thrown into a bonfire.

But if that was the end of the story, we wouldn’t have any writers.

Since there are thousands of writers out there, obviously there must be a better side to writing life. And lucky for us, there is.

Writing is incredibly fun.

Some days I can’t stop writing. The words just flow from my fingers. Some days every sentence I write is pure gold and I’m sure my novel is better than any that Dickens or Lewis wrote. Some days I’d like to forgo eating so I can keep writing.

Days like those make me think that writing is easy. I feel like a “real writer.”

But then the next day comes and with it storm clouds that black out the sunshine of inspiration. Every sentence becomes drudgery. Discouragement swallows up all our confidence. Writing sucks.

This is the point where writers groan, “Why isn’t this working?” And here, many people give up.

This is the greatest juxtaposition of the writing life.

I like to describe it like the waves in the ocean. If you’ve ever been to the beach, you know that the sea is never still. There are continuous waves. Some have enough power to knock you down and others barely lap at your feet.

Writing is like that. You’re trying to build a sandcastle at the edge of the sea.

Between the waves, you make a lot of progress. Little bouts of discouragement sweep away some of the sand. Then a big one comes and destroys your motivation to keep building, to keep writing.

And here you have two choices:

1. Give up
2. Keep going

You can just abandon the sandcastle to the waves. Or you can build a wall around your castle to protect it from the water and keep going.

Sometimes there will be longer times when writing is nearly impossible. It’s like at high tide. You can’t get to where you were before. You might even be back to where you started your writing journey. And sometimes, high tide will last longer than expected.

But the ocean always returns to low tide. You won’t be stuck in the hard part of writing forever. Soon the moon will draw the waters back and you’ll enjoy writing again.

And the discouragement of high tide makes the productivity of low tide even sweeter (though it’s still salt water).