Two weeks ago, I was on fire—editing-wise. Last week, I was in a rut—writing-wise. Sometimes as a writer, you get burned out; you need a break. I’m on a break—a sabbatical from writing. I feel a little stupid doing this right now when I promised myself I would get through another edit by the end of December. I should be able to stay strong to my goals; but alas, I need a vacation away from my daunting manuscript, even if it just for a week of two. But the break is not necessarily a break from writing; it is a period of time to learn more about writing. I want to hone in my skills of writing, so I can revitalize myself out of my I-am-the-worst-writer-in-the-world rut. I’ll be better equipped to write and edit. In order to accomplish my said sabbatical from writing, I purchased two books to educate me further in the writing craft.
Book #1 – “Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself into Print” by Renni Browne and Dave King (no relation to me)
Book #2 – “38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes: (And How to Avoid Them)” by Jack M. Brickham
I’ve read almost half of Book #1. It has opened my eyes to ingenious ways to polish my manuscript. Book #2 is on its way snail-mail, but I am eager to lay my hands on it, mark it up, and apply what I learn from it to my editing and future writing.
Anyway, writing is so not easy. Sometimes you need to take a break to get through it. And then you come back with the fire burning—really bright—again. Perhaps, I'll make my goal to finish another edit by the end of the year. Maybe I won’t. But at least with this little writing revival, I'll come back with more enthusiasm to write.
