Victoria KimbleWe always write these blog posts with our readers in mind, but sometimes we’re writing them to remind ourselves of some things too. I’m grateful for you, Dear Reader, but today this post is for me as much as it is for you.
I just wanted to remind you that it’s okay to rest. That might be a funny thing to write on a day we’ve set aside to pump you up and get you going on your writing, but resting is an important part too.
I’ve spent days and months of my writing career feeling like a failure because I wasn’t DOING more. If I had time to sit and breathe, surely I should be spending that time writing or editing or querying or networking or reading craft books…
All that is enough to make anyone quit. Here’s what we have to remember about being a writer. When you write, you are creating. And humans can’t create something out of nothing, which means we have to figure out what it is that helps us build up our creative supplies.
I’m taking my cue from nature today. God, in His infinite wisdom, created seasons for us. There is definitely a time in summer where creation is producing. It’s where we get our fruits and vegetables and flowers and baby creatures. But before that season of producing, there is a season of waiting as things mature. And after the season of producing there is a time when everything dies down. And after that time of dying down, there is a season of rest and stillness, as everything goes on hold for the winter. During the winter, creation is getting the rest it needs to build up energy to launch forth into another season of creating.
We writers should embrace the winters of our career. Take heart; they won’t last forever. They’ll morph into a new season, just like the rest of nature. So if you’re in a winter, where you aren’t producing, embrace the rest. Snuggle under a blanket and do the things that inspire the stories you love to write. Then you’ll be ready for the intense, work-heavy season of producing that’s coming.
Do you let yourself rest or do you feel like you have to be constantly producing? What would you do in a season of rest to recharge? Comment to be entered to win this month’s prize!
Julia N. White
Misha
Laurie Germaine
I write so little that I feel like I may never have a summer, but I enjoy building up creative ideas from activities around me.
I needed this. Thank you!
Great post. I am the worst about feeling guilty when I’m not producing in writing or housework or whatever. But lately my body has been demanding that I rest and I think that’s a good thing. God can still work on things even when I take a break.
This is a great reminder. Several times when I have pushed, pushed, pushed because I had to, I had to, I had to get everything done, my body rebelled and sat me down hard. Boom. Collapse. Thou shalt not move any further. But if I take proper rest, not only does my body appreciate it but my mind works a whole lot better too. God created a day of rest because we need it.