\"Writing.Com
*Magnify*
SPONSORED LINKS
Printed from https://writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/12861-Take-a-Break-from-a-Story.html
Fantasy: November 27, 2024 Issue [#12861]




 This week: Take a Break from a Story
  Edited by: Dawn Embers Author IconMail Icon
                             More Newsletters By This Editor  Open in new Window.

Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

Fantasy Newsletter by Dawn

A little ramble about the need to take breaks between drafts, the benefit and what one can do during the interim.


Word from our sponsor



Letter from the editor

November for some is a big month of writing. For those that take part in novel writing, it can be a time where the attempt happens to write the entire novel, or at least 50,000 words towards that particular story, within just one month. Even those that rebel and write different short stories while tracking overall word count can get a lot done in the short amount of time. Whether you reach the end or not, when it comes to writing, there are certain stages we commonly experience. They may come at different timelines or speeds, but there are some big approaches that are often taken when writing any type of story, which includes fantasy and other genres of speculative fiction.

What do I mean? It is a common practice to write a few different drafts of a story. Writing is a part of the process, along with rewriting, editing, testing with readers and the like. Another part that can come in handy that people might not link to the process of writing, however, is when you take a break from a story.

I know there are some who will need to keep writing after the month ends who took part in NaNoWriMo and that's okay. Not everyone is going to finish the book in a month and with fantasy, some of our novels are going to be much longer. One of my fantasy NaNo attempts ended up at 170,000 words once I was done writing (and no, I didn't write all of that in November but it was close at 160k for one very crazy year). However, while it might be tempting to move on to the next step right away, like going through for an edit because there are definitely going to be some errors in a first draft done quickly, I would recommend taking a break instead. Give yourself a little time and space from the story before taking the next step in the action part of the process.

In fact, when it comes to almost any story except very short contest deadlines on WDC, I recommend taking a little break after each draft of a story. Deadlines can make it difficult, so this isn't a hard rule that has to be followed all of the time. This is more of a suggestion to take into consideration if you plan to develop stories and, in particular, if you want to submit the writing to publishers/agents/etc. And the break doesn't have to be long either. Sure, at times I take a break for years but that's more out of distraction with many other stories compared to doing it with purpose.

One of the main reasons for this break, aside from how it can just help you in general, is that having space away from the story where you haven't spent long hours thinking about it will help make the editing and rewriting process better. You can approach it with "fresh eyes." This is really big after November novel writing because after spending a whole month thinking about the novel most of the time, you've probably seen the words and thought about them so much that your mind may skip over errors or fill in blanks that might not actually be in the text. You know the story, which means you might not see some of the problems. Taking a break will help some with that. Granted, it won't solve all bias as the writer, but it's a good start. And don't think of it as not doing something or putting off an important part of the writing process. While we like to stay active and do work, knowing when to take a break will help avoid other problems like burn out.

However long you decide to take on the break, that is up to you. There isn't a set amount but with a novel I would suggest more than a few days just considering how big of a project that entails for rewrites and edits. A short story could be set aside for a few hours, especially if you're writing micro or flash fiction. That can help with short deadline contests if there are less than 24 hours or even only a couple of days to get something edited in time. A novel, you might want to take a few days or weeks, at least, before going back to work on the next draft or when starting the edit process. Let things marinate.

What can you do during the break? Well, that is up to you and what you have going on in your life. You can write something else. Take a break for writing for a few days. Whatever works with your goals and plans. If you are trying to write a little bit every single day, then you might not want to take a complete break from writing in general. But if you've been writing a lot and start to feel tired, also know that it's okay to have a respite from writing. Take a little break, then get back to things.

So, normally I would end with a comment about having fun and writing. But today, with November nearing an end where I've worked on 2 novels, I'm going to say something else...

Have a Kit Kat bar I mean, take a break. *Wink*





Editor's Picks

 Sol'ginok Open in new Window. (E)
An unwanted transformation reflects the inner self.
#2330712 by Jtpete 1986 Author IconMail Icon


 
Image Protector
STATIC
The Magical Dragon and the Wishes Open in new Window. (ASR)
A little girl goes to the attic to find an egg, which hatches and out comes a dragon.
#2330876 by Angelica Weatherby-Star on top Author IconMail Icon


Image Protector
STATIC
Origins Of Sisters Of Reflections Open in new Window. (E)
How The Sisters Of Reflections got started. They are characters I made up.
#2330834 by Princess Megan Snow Rose Author IconMail Icon


 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#2330484 by Not Available.


Image Protector
SURVEY
Journey Through Genres: Official Contest Open in new Window. (E)
Write a short story in the given genre to win big prizes!
#1803133 by Writing.Com Support Author IconMail Icon


Image Protector
FORUM
Vagrant Vignettes Open in new Window. (E)
Write a vignette. Starts December 1st, 2024
#2299889 by WakeUpAndLive Author IconMail Icon


Image Protector
FORUM
Personify Writing Contest-CLOSED Open in new Window. (E)
A contest that gives life to inanimate things.
#2268646 by GERVIC Author IconMail Icon


Image Protector
FORUM
Writing 4 Kids Contest  Open in new Window. (ASR)
If you like writing stories and/or poems for kids, this is the contest for you!
#1999597 by Cubby Author IconMail Icon




 
Submit an item for consideration in this newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form

Word from Writing.Com

Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
         https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form

Don't forget to support our sponsor!



Ask & Answer

Do you plan times when you take breaks from a story? How long do you wait before a rewrite or edit?

We also had a break from comments for this month. Hopefully everyone is having a good time writing and that NaNWriMo helped anyone make progress, whether they made 50k or not.

Happy Holidays


*Cat*

*Bullet* *Bullet* *Bullet* Don't Be Shy! Write Into This Newsletter! *Bullet* *Bullet* *Bullet*

This form allows you to submit an item on Writing.Com and feedback, comments or questions to the Writing.Com Newsletter Editors. In some cases, due to the volume of submissions we receive, please understand that all feedback and submissions may not be responded to or listed in a newsletter. Thank you, in advance, for any feedback you can provide!
Writing.Com Item ID To Highlight (Optional):

Send a comment or question to the editor!
Limited to 2,500 characters.
Word from our sponsor
ASIN: 197380364X
Amazon's Price: $ 15.99

Removal Instructions

To stop receiving this newsletter, click here for your newsletter subscription list. Simply uncheck the box next to any newsletter(s) you wish to cancel and then click to "Submit Changes". You can edit your subscriptions at any time.


Printed from https://writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/12861-Take-a-Break-from-a-Story.html