You know what? Writing is not all it is cracked up to be. It is supposed to be this sort of glamorous profession, and yet it is not. It is more like hours of blank, mindless boredom and frustration interspersed with bouts of intense productivity. Even when you stay productive the writing itself becomes more of a chore than a joy. Your brain just gets fried.
I know the signs that I am getting burnt out. I start misspelling simple words like the and when. I add commas like sprinkles on a donut. I forget the names of people and places and start referring to them in general terms, just because I am too lazy to look them up. You know; that place, with the thing, by the water, with the clouds. You know what I mean, right?
Sometimes, you just need to take a break. Get outside, get some fresh air, and maybe take a walk. But sometimes even that will not cut it. Sometimes, you just need a vacation.
Vacation is not a four letter word, no matter how society makes you feel. For some reason, we feel like taking a break is tantamount to running away from home: foolish, unwise, and really a little childish. But it is not! It is so important to take a brain and body break; to get out of the rut that you are stuck in and find your center.
What is the point of staying at work and getting nothing accomplished? Pouring out reams and reams of boring, repetitive, and uninspired writing is not what you want to do with your time. If you just take a little break, you will come back refreshed and inspired, and that is worth more than anything.
Another thing that gets me about writers, though, is how what we do is frequently not considered work. Oh, yes, maybe if you are a journalist or something ‘real’, people might take your work seriously. But if you are a blogger or the like, then you can forget about it. I love the tone they use.
“So… you blog for a living?”
They say it like it is a dirty word or something. It is like they say: so you sleep for a living? Really?! What is hard to understand about this? Writing is writing, whether it gets printed on paper or online. If this is my profession, you better respect it or you will get a piece of my mind!
Do not listen to them. You know how hard you work. You know how tired you get, using your brain and creativity day in and day out. You need to be refilled and refreshed. There is no shame in needing a break, and no shame in taking a vacation. In fact, I insist. Stop reading, stop working, and get going. Now. I mean it. Why are you still here? Go! Oh, and have fun!
Author Bio
Heather Smith is an ex-nanny. Passionate about thought leadership and writing, Heather regularly contributes to various career, social media, public relations, branding, and parenting blogs/websites. She also provides value to hire a nanny by giving advice on site design as well as the features and functionality to provide more and more value to nannies and families across the U.S. and Canada. She can be available at H.smith7295 [at] gmail.com.
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