Taking a break after world-building and plotting.

[J.MGreenhut]

Hi All,

It's been a long journey thus point in writing my first novel. I just finished my plot and sub-plots and have submitted them to my writing coach for review. It's important for me to live in consultation with my peers and hear a diversity of thought when it comes to starting my first draft. All things being equal I am quite average in my daily responsibilities and can afford to write 3-4 hours per day. What is a reasonable break? I want to avoid burning out, as well I want all of the development I have slaved over to sink in before it germinates in my writing. I know there's no one size fits all answer, but input is very much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Queshire]

Huh? Uh, well, probably the same for any other computer time. Get up every hour or so, use the bathroom, drink some water, etc.

 

[pmmg]

Yeah. For me, I want to hit the end of my story. I dont want breaks. Two more books to go. And then a lot of editing. When its finished i may stop. Till then, time is wasting.


But i have been out of my rythym for a few weeks. I finished book 3 and changed my focus. I think i started book four too early. But other than collecting thoughts, the longer out the harder it will be to get back in. I want my story told.

 

[J.MGreenhut]

Yeah. For me, I want to hit the end of my story. I dont want breaks. Two more books to go. And then a lot of editing. When its finished i may stop. Till then, time is wasting.


But i have been out of my rythym for a few weeks. I finished book 3 and changed my focus. I think i started book four too early. But other than collecting thoughts, the longer out the harder it will be to get back in. I want my story told.

That's great information. I know that burnout is a consequence of an unbalanced life. I really need to work on that, but I relate to your sense of urgency. Congrats on all the hard work you've put in! I admire anyone who's gone through the process, it is NOT easy.

 

[Prince of Spires]

Find a rythm that works for you. And work up to longer stretches. It's like running a marathon. When you first start out, you don't start with immediately running 40km. You start slow and steady, going a bit longer each day.

What practice do you have with writing for longer stretches of time? Everyone is different, so it's hard to give an exact answer. I personally find that I can write for about 30 minutes, and after that I need a small break because my attention starts to waver. A small break is something like going to the toilet, getting a drink, or just getting up, stretching and getting back to work.

I usually tend to work in 20 minute sprints. As in, put a timer for 20 minutes and write during that time. When the 20 minutes are over, I do something else for 1 or 2 minutes (researching something or comming up with a name counts), and then go for another 20 minutes.

 

[Finchbearer]

Yeah, what prince of spires says, 20 mins for a focussed attention span is pretty standard, keeps the brain fresh to have a break after 20 mins or else the brain struggles to focus.

Anywhere from 15 mins to 2 hours (at a push) is the time I have available to write, as I’m severely pushed for time, and my only ‘free’ time is in the evenings when my brain isn’t naturally as focussed as in the mornings, so sucks to be me at the moment…

Try out different things and do what works best for you.

 

[Ban]

I have found that I write best when I use multiple mediums. I often start writing a chapter on my phone before sending it to my computer to finish it. Worldbuilding notes often find themselves written on paper before being transferred to a main file. I think (at least for me) that setting aside multiple hours for dedicated writing simply makes the writing process more daunting than it needs to be. Better to steal some minutes here and there throughout the day if possible.

 

[pmmg]

I have found that I write best when I use multiple mediums. I often start writing a chapter on my phone before sending it to my compute to finish it.

Just the thought of trying to write on my phone makes me never want to write again.

 

[Ban]

How so? I just type a couple of paragraphs in my notes on the phone, then send them over. Allows me to get my writing thoughts out while cooking or walking the dog without having to rush to my computer.

 

[pmmg]

I think that is one of those things people either relate to or they dont. Further explanation is not needed.

Touch screen keyboard and chapters do not mix.

 

[Finchbearer]

I use my phone all the time to make notes or just what comes into my mind at the time, so quick and easy for when I’m time pushed, which is most of the time.

 

[pmmg]

Notes and chapters aren't the same.

 

[Finchbearer]

I’ve definitely written chapters on my phone - I know my writing isn’t great right now, but I’m not sure how much the medium influences it. I’d love to know if anyone still puts pen to paper!

 

[pmmg]

I suspect if you were writing with a stone and chisel, you would find the medium influences your writing.

But...I suppose you win. You write stuff on your phone. For me, the keyboard sucks, and its a frustrating experience. I will avoid, unless there is no better choice. Mostly, there is.

 

[Finchbearer]

The major downside is that there are loads and loads of typos…

I suppose you wouldn’t be able to erase stone and chisel

 

[Prince of Spires]

The medium definitely influences the writing, though I think the difference between keyboard + PC (or laptop) vs phone is one of the smaller differences.

From what I've read of people switching to writing with pen and paper, is that they tend to write more conciously. You can't go back to fix mistakes as easily as on a computer, so you give more thought to what you write and how you write it. At least, that's the idea.

Phone vs computer, both are a screen where you write words and they appear. It might be a bit easier to see the whole picture on a computer, since the screen is bigger. On the other hand, the distractions might also be bigger. It's a lot easier to quickly research something on a computer and subsequently going down a 10 minute rabit hole, simply because it's easier to switch programs on a computer. I've written on my phone during train commutes, and it works fine.

If you really want to see how medium influences your writing, try dictation. I've found that very hard. I tend to think with my fingers while seeing what I've written. I'm sure I could teach myself to dictate, but at the moment, everything I dictate is just awful. It's just bland and more like a summary than real prose. Might just be me of course. Lots of people swear by dictation.

 

[Finchbearer]

I’d like to create a nice desk setup with no modern tech and write by candlelight just to see what the craic is.