How much of a break do you take between books?

[Rhett Gervais]

I published my first two novels on December 1st. Up to the last minute I was pumping out anywhere from 1000-1500 words a day.  Now that those books are live, I haven't written more than a few outline ideas here and there. I have lots of ideas but feel like I'm catching up and getting some rest before I go "once more unto the breach."

What about you folks? Do you take breaks or not?

[David VanDyke]

"Unto the breach," my friend, rather than "into."

I always need a week or two of down time, unless there happens to be a follow-on idea burning in my head. But what you're experiencing seems normal. It's human to work toward a goal and, once the goal is accomplished, to take a rest.

[Rhett Gervais]

"Unto the breach," my friend, rather than "into."

Corrected!

[Anarchist]

I take at least take four weeks off between books.

During that time I work on other publishing-related things (ads, emails, etc.).

[RappaDizzy]

As soon as I finish one...I start another one. At my age I can't afford to let my cognitive functions take time off and begin to spiral downward.

[Eric Thomson]

At least thirty to forty-five minutes...

But then, I've been accused of being a closeted workaholic.

 

[A. N. Onymous]

I take time off writing for editing. I take time off editing and writing for...well...never. I have to get these stories out of my system. If I am not physically tapping away at the keys, I am building the story in my head, even when I sleep.

[angela]

I take off as much time as it takes for me to become delusional again and believe that the next project will be "easy." 

[cecilia_writer]

Until I begin to feel guilty about not writing.

[dgcasey]

Probably way more time off than I should. I've written about 10K words since NaNoWriMo. That word count sucks and I need to do something about that.

[Rick Partlow]

A week, sometimes two.

[Amanda M. Lee]

None

[Rhett Gervais]

None

Is that healthy?

[Amanda M. Lee]

None

Is that healthy?

Compared to what? This is a business. I write 45K a week. I edit 45K a week. If I finish a book on a Wednesday, I start the next one on a Thursday and overlap everything.

[APP]

I take off a month or longer, until I start experiencing guilt feelings. But during that lapse, I'm catching up on my reading.

[Arches]

You can take time off between books? Why am I always the last to know?

[David VanDyke]

None

Is that healthy?

I know you speak from pure innocent ignorance, but it would be easy to think you're being patronizing.

Welcome to the community. ;) Really, in all kindness.

You need to know Amanda is a multi-million-selling prodigy. She's an Olympic athlete of indie authors, and she's had to put up with similar-sounding, less well-intentioned condescension.

It's like telling Usain Bolt he's running too fast, and to ease off.

She's fine.

[Rhett Gervais]

None

Is that healthy?

I know you speak from pure innocent ignorance, but it would be easy to think you're being patronizing.

Welcome to the community. ;) Really, in all kindness.

You need to know Amanda is a multi-million-selling prodigy. She's an Olympic athlete of indie authors, and she's had to put up with similar-sounding, less well-intentioned condescension.

It's like telling Usain Bolt he's running too fast, and to ease off.

She's fine.

Wow...sorry I had no clue. I certainly did not mean to sound patronizing. That's pretty amazing!

[dgcasey]

You need to know Amanda is a multi-million-selling prodigy. She's an Olympic athlete of indie authors, and she's had to put up with similar-sounding, less well-intentioned condescension.

She's my idol. When I grow up, I want to be just like her.

 

[guest247]

None to one week depending on what I have in my "To Do'" pile. The longest gap was two weeks when I had an exceptionally large pile.

[EdmunddeWight]

I'm constantly writing (flash fiction for a weekly blog) but as far as longer works, for me it comes down to if I have a solid idea ready then I dive in as soon as I'm focused and ready. No set downtime for me.

[Rose Andrews]

I've taken two months of a break since my last release. Not planned for, mind you, but I just can't seem to get my groove back.

[Rinelle]

I used to take a week or so off, but I've got that down to a few days, and hoping to get it down further. The days I take off are mostly because I'm updating everything etc for the new book, so not off as such, just not writing.

[LSMay]

I'm always working on more than one story at once. At least 2 - often more. So there's not really 'time off between books' because if I finish one, I still have the other one to work on. However, I do sometimes take a few days to a week off from writing, and that sometimes coincides with a release.

[Simon Haynes]

I wrote one novel a month between Feb and the end of November, and my plan was always to take the whole of December off. No writing, no plotting, no thinking about my novels. Just a complete break to recharge.

So far, so good.

[VanessaC]

I'm finding I do need a bit of a break between projects, but that doesn't mean no writing-related stuff - there's tidying up back-matter, updating the website, newsletters, etc, etc, all to do.  So I'm still working on my writing business even when not actually writing.

It may also make a difference that this isn't my job - I have a full-time day job that takes priority as that is what pays the bills.  And sometimes the day job takes over (like last week when I didn't get any new words done). 

[guest1038]

No breaks. Just keep on keepin' on.

[Hopscotch]

Amanda is my idol, too, with diamonds, but:  whatever works for you, works for you.  Take whatever break you feel you need until the driving urge to write overwhelms you.  The longest break I ever took - self-enforced - was a year, b/c I really .

[sstreet]

It's kind of complicated, right? I mean, some of us have other jobs. I have kids that wish I wouldn't write anymore because this isn't a 9-5 job that just turns off when you clock out. You have to write when inspiration hits sometimes. And sometimes inspiration is more plodding and doing the dishes is more productive than sitting at the computer. I think what works for one may not work for everyone. I took three months off of writing this summer...not the best decision for me professionally, but it was what my family needed and I was still getting paid...so, that's what I did. Then again, writing is my job now, so how realistic is it to think you can take three months off whenever you want? Not many jobs would accommodate that kind of scheduling. But then, that is the beauty of self-publishing, too. So many variables!

[guest1038]

It's kind of complicated, right? I mean, some of us have other jobs. I have kids that wish I wouldn't write anymore because this isn't a 9-5 job that just turns off when you clock out. You have to write when inspiration hits sometimes. And sometimes inspiration is more plodding and doing the dishes is more productive than sitting at the computer. I think what works for one may not work for everyone. I took three months off of writing this summer...not the best decision for me professionally, but it was what my family needed and I was still getting paid...so, that's what I did. Then again, writing is my job now, so how realistic is it to think you can take three months off whenever you want? Not many jobs would accommodate that kind of scheduling. But then, that is the beauty of self-publishing, too. So many variables!

It can be complicated, no doubt, and everyone has their own approach. For me, I have to treat this like a job or I won't accomplish my goals.

I used to think about only writing when inspiration struck and wound up using it as a convenient excuse to not write - especially when the going got tough or when I just wasn't "feeling it". My ability to procrastinate or do anything other than what I ought to be doing is probably approaching legendary status. I've had to incorporate changes to combat this tendency, otherwise I'm doomed to not meet goals I've set out for myself.

Now I don't wait for inspiration, I force the issue if I have to, which means I've made writing into a 9 to 5 job. It just has to be that for me or the discipline to get things done will disappear or won't exist in the first place. Unfortunately, that's just how it is for me. I have to treat this like a job with a set of fairly hard parameters because I know if I don't I'll slack off and, again, goals will not be met and if that happens then what am I even doing this for?

Of course, ymmv...

[OfficialEthanJ]

I produced 4 novels and a novella in my rookie year (2018), and plan to release 4 novels in 2019. My productivity forecast is blocked out as either "production" (writing, revising, editing, etc) or "launch". I am currently "resting" meaning once my latest proof copy arrives tomorrow I'll be back in production mode. Small breaks seem to work for me but I hate losing momentum.

[Kitcat]

This is something I'm struggling with. I have two pennames and a site that need to be fed. If I take time off then something slips, and then its like dominoes.  Do I take time off only to have to work harder later, or maybe even damage one of the pennames?  Hard to say. I tell myself that it has to be fun, and normally when I take some time off, even a few days, I come back stronger.  But that's harder to believe when you see numbers slipping, and think, "If only I had that next book out..."

[guest1038]

This is something I'm struggling with. I have two pennames and a site that need to be fed. If I take time off then something slips, and then its like dominoes.  Do I take time off only to have to work harder later, or maybe even damage one of the pennames?  Hard to say. I tell myself that it has to be fun, and normally when I take some time off, even a few days, I come back stronger.  But that's harder to believe when you see numbers slipping, and think, "If only I had that next book out..."

Do yourself a favor and stop telling yourself it has to be fun. That's a productivity killer and a trap I see too many artists falling into. You're a writer, so writing will be fun sometimes just as an incidental part of pursuing something you enjoy. But, don't make the mistake of getting hung up on the notion that is 'has to be fun' or you'll stop doing it in those times when it isn't - and those times are inevitable as that's just the nature of what we do.

Don't take any breaks in the larger sense of that word. If you must take a break, make it a day or two tops when a project is finished, and then get right back to work on the next thing. Keep going, keep pushing, regardless how un-fun it can seem at certain times. Your productivity numbers, your business, and "future-you" will thank you for it.

[Kitcat]

This is something I'm struggling with. I have two pennames and a site that need to be fed. If I take time off then something slips, and then its like dominoes.  Do I take time off only to have to work harder later, or maybe even damage one of the pennames?  Hard to say. I tell myself that it has to be fun, and normally when I take some time off, even a few days, I come back stronger.  But that's harder to believe when you see numbers slipping, and think, "If only I had that next book out..."

Do yourself a favor and stop telling yourself it has to be fun. That's a productivity killer and a trap I see too many artists falling into. You're a writer, so writing will be fun sometimes just as an incidental part of pursuing something you enjoy. But, don't make the mistake of getting hung up on the notion that is 'has to be fun' or you'll stop doing it in those times when it isn't - and those times are inevitable as that's just the nature of what we do.

Don't take any breaks in the larger sense of that word. If you must take a break, make it a day or two tops when a project is finished, and then get right back to work on the next thing. Keep going, keep pushing, regardless how un-fun it can seem at certain times. Your productivity numbers, your business, and "future-you" will thank you for it.

I've been running my own membership site for 9 years, writing every other day for them, which equals more than a book a month with a full time job and now with individual books on the side. So I know what I'm talking about when I say if it isn't "fun" overall you WILL burn out. This is life. You only have one. 

But, like you said, you need to keep doing it when you don't want to. As I MUST publish chapters for my members, I am on a strict timeline for that. The books are for advertising for the site (if you like this book, you'll like more of my writing for $X a month!), and for an additional income stream.  The thing is that the books are optional and my membership income dwarfs what I make from them (though if I actually put out more releases, it could add to it significantly). So that's what is driving me a little crazy.

[guest1038]

No doubt, it's not an endeavor for the weary. And, of course you will burn out. So will I. So will most of us, regardless of the level of effort put forth, it's just a matter of when which will vary from person to person. That's why I recommend everyone push as hard as they can while the pushing's good. Our time and our productivity are finite.