Taking breaks is essential when it comes to reviewing and revising your own work. Taking a break means stepping away from your manuscript for an extended period of time. Do anything that has nothing to do with your current WIP. This includes:
- Avoiding talking about your manuscript with anyone.
- Not looking at your project’s brain board or outline.
- Staying away from working on any sequels, prequels, variations (screenplay, audiobook script, etc.), or spin-offs.
The Importance of Taking Breaks
Luckily, you’re human and imperfect, so you don’t have to worry if you slip up from time to time during your break! The goal is to try to distance yourself from the world of your manuscript as much as possible. This allows you to gain more objectivity. It’s hard to be objective about your work at all, let alone enough to help enhance the piece. Taking breaks helps you look at your manuscript more like a stranger would and less like the person who wrote it would. It’s not possible to pretend that you never saw the manuscript, of course, but putting a little effort into distancing yourself from the piece can work wonders for you being able to notice problems within it.
Length of Breaks
Generally speaking, 7 days is on the shorter end of the break spectrum. Some authors wait multiple months before revisiting their outline or manuscript. For newer writers, it may be problematic to try to wait that long. The issue lies in the fact that many new writers have only recently begun to prioritize their craft. So, if they step away from it for too long, it’s easy for the manuscript to be forgotten completely as they fall back into a routine without it, especially if they aren’t working on a different literary project.
Otherwise, taking a 30-day break is the upper limit that most newbie writers seem to be able to stick to.
- Create an event (“Re-read manuscript” or “Look at outline again”) on your digital calendar, or write it on your paper calendar for 7 to 30 days later.
- During the break time try (you may falter, but making an attempt and failing is better than not trying at all) not to look at or think about anything related to your project.
- Revisit the piece after the break has ended.
Sleeping is just as important as being awake and active. The same goes for diving into your manuscript versus stepping away from it. The distance you put between yourself and your manuscript can help you create a stronger piece of literature.