Why I Took a Break
Photo by Nandhu Kumar from Pexels
I took a break from writing for the month of March because a lot was happening in the world and in my life. My motivation had waned and I was thinking of shelving my current story. Thankfully, I didn’t, because I truly believe this story has potential. Once I reflected a bit more, I realized I wasn’t just tired or found this story boring. It was a bit more than that.
Limited Time
One of the main reasons I took a break was so I could have more time to rest and think through the scene I was stuck on. I currently work a 9-5 so my writing time is limited. I would love to simply wake up whenever I wanted to, fix a cup of tea, and start writing on my draft. And then spend the rest of the day exploring the world. I feel like that’s the life most working people would love to have. But that’s currently not my life. And forcing myself to write late into the night and then wake up super early for work was taxing for me. And since the bills have to be paid somehow, I put my writing on hold. This actually let me gain more ideas for my book and to let my subconscious work on those missing gaps in the story. I’ve worked a better balance between my time spend on the day job and writing. Also, the motivation and inspiration for this story have finally come back.
War Conflict
I’d be lying if I said the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine didn’t affect me. It’s hard for me to write about a love story or even focus on issues as a gay man when I’m constantly bombarded with images and news articles of people hurting and political leaders abusing their power. Compound the hell that had been the past two years of the pandemic, and I can say that we all are a little more than tired. We’re exhausted. Yes, it is shocking what’s going on, and I believe most of us wish we could do more to help. I’ve watched videos of those in Eastern Europe tell their stories and it’s heartbreaking. There was a week where I was off of the internet because I needed a break. I know that’s a luxury since I live on the other side of the world. But I’m the only one responsible for my mental health and many times, a break from the news is the best thing you can do for yourself.
Writer Fatigue
I’ve been working on this story for more than a year now. In fact, I wrote it at the same time I wrote Staying Alive. However, the mistake that made was the story was way too similar and I wanted to tell it from a different angle. Then I changed the plot entirely and even though I like the new direction, it’s been a journey trying to rewrite most of it. And then there are several scenes in which I just got stuck on. Compound that again with my impatience and you have a very frustrated writer. Hence the reason to back off and recalibrate. Constantly pushing myself to work on the same story day after day can lead to writer burn out (unless you’re on a roll and the words are easily flowing through you. Those moments are always the best snd it feels like a good mental workout).
What Did I Do?
During my break, there were several things I did to recharge my energy and inspiration. The first was spending time with friends. I can be a real recluse when I’m frustrated with life. Reconnecting with friends and going to events in my city had led me to pay more attention to life around me. It’s a reminder that those real life moments fuel my future stories.
Something else I like to do is play video games. If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll see some of my posts about the games I’ve played. I like the action-adventure genre because I can immerse myself in another story. It’s quite fun to see the similarities of story telling I use in a novel and how game developers create a story for their games. It’s fun to watch the process from idea to fully fledged game with teams of artists and voice actors. I recently finished the Shadow of the Tomb Raider, which is now my favorite game in the latest Tomb Raider trilogy. It has a story that is both gripping and touching. It reminds me of themes that make us human such as loss and perseverance and the need for human connection despite cultural differences. And again, it serves as an inspiration for me to keep going with the stories. Seeing other people praise the game reminds me of why I’m a writer: to give a story people can immerse themselves in.
Despite this much needed time away from my stories, I’m still writing and have new ideas for future stories. I may publish a few short stories here as well. Stay tuned for the journey and new projects that I’ll be releasing hopefully before the year is out.
