The Importance of Writing Breaks #MFRWorg

As writers we often get so wrapped up in each aspect from getting the novel or short story written out, to each revision, to marketing and publishing the completed work. I know for myself it's hard to stop mid scene when the juices are flowing like a river.

But, it's important to remember to nourish our bodies between writing. So, take frequent breaks to stretch your legs with a brisk walk, or get some water, or a sandwich and a salad. Don't overwork yourself to the point where you forget the basics like drinking enough water, eating regular meals, and daily exercise.

If you're like me, you can get so wrapped up in creating characters and worlds and circumstances, that you have to remind yourself with a little sticky note to get up and walk, or go eat. Also, don't neglect your relationships be it with your children, your spouse, or family and friends.

The writing isn't going anywhere. I promise it'll be waiting for you when you return. Frequent breaks while writing can be a useful tool. First your brain gets room to breath and your imagination gets to contemplate what to do next. I've hit some golden ideas during these breaks. And like most writers I've asked, I'll quickly jot down notes of the idea and restart my break.

Before my breaks and even at the end of the day, I jot down a quick note in bold red on my current MS about where I want to go next. Even for a quick moment when I'm pulled away, either for the kids or something, I'll scribble a super quick note of where I want to go next, so I don't lose the thought.

Now, if a kid is bleeding or something, I'll immediately switch to mama-mode and take care of the wound or whatever the emergency is. But, most times when I'm writing I have an aura of "do not enter or approach unless it's an emergency." It's automatic for me and my family has finally learned to respect that.

Readers sound off: What tricks do you use to keep from losing your train of thought for the next move in your stories? How often do you take breaks while writing? Do you remember to eat and stay hydrated? Do your health and relationships suffer because you got to wrapped up in the moment?

Life will always knock you down. Learn to roll with the punches and get back up. Then go again.
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Catrina Barton is a real go-getter, who in 2006 turned her avid reading addiction since three, into a vigorous passion for writing. Especially New Adult Romances. Drawing on her knowledge as a Kung-Fu Instructor she makes her fight scenes both realistic and action packed.
When not indulging her fertile imagination to craft stories for your reading pleasures she enjoys hiking with her family and amateur belly dancing. 
Proud member of many writing and marketing groups. An active participant at Critique Circle and several other crit groups. Her love of writing and her family rival her exhilaration from helping fellow writers. That's why she created her blog: Kitty's Inner Thoughts.

Fave Personal Quote:
"An author cannot grow without both constructive criticism and encouragement."

Kitty's Links:
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Focus: An Important Element of Storytelling

Books by Julie Eberhart Painter.

Focus: An Important Element of Storytelling

By Julie Eberhart Painter

Of all the skills I've learned in this last quarter of century’s worth of concentrated writing, it's that three elements are key to a successful piece of writing: point of view, story and focus.

POV is a learned skill. There are many articles around to guide writers through that tunnel. And story tells itself providing we stay true to it and the POV characters living it. The easiest way to accomplish this is to put the POV camera on the shoulder of the character with the most to lose and let that character see and react to the story unfolding.

A Slippery Issue...

Focus is a slippery issue, easily lost when we are distracted by a cute joke or a sidebar kind of addendum. The “let's include this,” mindset will not get a story past the first editor. I find flash fiction, a good place to put those distracting asides.

But truly focusing, “Now there’s the rub.” With focus the writer must stay on point. Characters must speak as themselves, act in their own style and have a clear voice—so clear that very few dialogue tags are needed. The characters must dress and look like the person the writer is portraying. (No tart clothes on a nun.)

Some bit players will not be thoroughly described. The days of a person entering the room, followed by a full bio and inventory of their appearance are gone. Minimalism is in. Get to the point. Elmore Leonard says he leaves out the parts people skip over. That might be extreme, but it's a good measuring stick to apply when you get verbiage in your wordage.

When choosing a way to tell any story, it must come from the most visceral place, the heart of the character. 

Characters...

Focus on how this character is acting and what part of the back story must be included. For instance might he have just gotten out of jail? Is she not wearing a wedding ring but obviously expecting? There might be a physical disability that can only be caused by the back story itself.

How we chose to tell the story means everything. Over all, whose story is it? That will determine the point of view and focus; and what method are you going to use to bring this story from your inner being to haunt your readers.

If all else fails, keep your focus by taking that distracting little gem you're just dying to use and make it the focus of a short-short or flash fiction story.

Application...

Applying the disciplined pen to the focus of your piece will get your readers laughing in the right places and crying as you might have when you first wrote the scene. Weed out the extraneous details cluttering the point of the story. And, never forget writer Tim O’Brien, author of The Things They Carried saying, “When you come to the end stop!”

Julie Eberhart Painter is the Champagne Books author of Mortal Coil, Tangled Web, and CTRR award-winning Kill Fee, also recipient of Champagne’s Best Book for 2011 Award. Web site at www.books-jepainter.com Check out http://bewilderingstories.com to read Julie's latest flash fiction stories and articles and stories in Cocktails, Fiction and Gossip Magazine, an online slick.

Meg Mims: I See Dead Characters

I started writing traditional romance. Really. Just ask my long-time critique partner, who slogged through a family saga before I started another project. Over the first few years, I snagged plenty of editors (slush-pile submissions, no less) who loved my writing style. So? Why didn’t I get published long ago in romance?

They told me I had plot-heavy manuscripts, not enough romance—and what was with all the dead bodies? Plenty of historical romances have dead bodies lying around, though, from wars or vengeful alpha heroes. I didn’t see the problem. Yeah, my historical style focuses on the plot. For years I tried to beat that down and failed. If one of my characters turned around, someone ended up dead. Blame them, not me! And besides, my characters didn’t have time for romance. They might think about it, or get distracted by their mutual attraction, but then they force themselves to refocus and solve the puzzle.

Trust me, I’m a slow learner. I never considered switching genres to mystery. Go figure.

Problem number two—I hadn’t learned how to keep a reader’s interest from start to finish. My beginnings sucked them in and then fell flat. So who am I to complain (too much) about not selling right away. No first book wonder here. Or second book. Or third, fourth or fifth. Even my sixth, a traditional mystery, written during the Master’s program at Seton Hill University—which won an RWA chapter contest last year, for heaven’s sake, is still languishing on an editor’s desk. (Revisions ahead, I’m sure, whether or not I’m rejected.)

I did sell the fourth book, however, after a major overhaul. But I don’t regret the hours I spent learning how to market from the Savvy Authors group, from Kayelle Allen and Marcia James, and from expert Margie Lawson who teaches infusing emotions and body language. I chose to accept the offer from a small publishing house, Astraea Press—whose focus is on clean fiction. They loved the mix of suspense and romance (and the happy ending is guaranteed, since justice is always served in the end of mystery!) Astraea Press is now rocketing upward in the wake of readers wanting stories with sweet romance.

Does Double Crossing have *any* romance? A hint, with more to come in the sequel (I promise, unless my characters get distracted again). Lily Granville tracks her father’s killer across country to California, but soon realizes she is no longer the hunter—but the prey.

Double Crossing is what I call a twist of “True Grit” on the new transcontinental railroad, set in late summer of 1869. It has more than one dead body. But I’m very pleased that readers have given it high marks for “suspense, humor and an assortment of colorful characters… And history buffs will enjoy every accurate and fascinating period detail…” Check out more reviews on my website (http://www.double-crossing.com) and on Goodreads and Amazon.

To romance, to mystery and suspense! May dead bodies continue to haunt my characters.

Meg Mims

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Author Meg Mims is a member of Marketing for Romance Writers. You can follow her here:

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/megmims

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/megmims

Website:  http://www.megmims.com