Five Signs It’s Time to Step Away From Your WIP

Posted by annastan on April 16th, 2010. Filed under: Craft, WIP, Writing Rants.

The other day I was asking you, my lovely readers, to tell me what motivates you to keep working on revisions. This got me thinking about how to know when it’s time to take a break from your WIP. Are there are any signs that it’s time to give it a rest? So here they are, five signs that it’s time to step away from your WIP:

1. Reading through it starts to feel like a chore.rest-area

2. You’d rather do things you hate (like laundry or vacuuming) than work on it.

3. You daydream about working on something else.

4. You find yourself changing teeny, tiny things over and over.

5. You start to suspect the entire thing is worthless, and you’re tempted to cut everything, even pivotal scenes.

Now, we all have bad days when we might feel any of these things. But if these symptoms persist, it either means your revision is finished, or it means it’s time to take a little vacation from your WIP and work on something else for a while.

Happy writing!

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19 Responses to Five Signs It’s Time to Step Away From Your WIP

  1. Karen Strong
    April 16th, 2010 at 7:25 am

    Ha. This happened to me last Fall. I knew it was time for maybe a break when I started washing all the baseboards in my house. LOL.

    A lot of writers think that may mean giving up but getting distance from a WIP can do WONDERS.

  2. Elle Strauss
    April 16th, 2010 at 7:48 am

    Familiarity breeds contempt, but absence makes the heart grow fonder—true even with our own beloved wips!

  3. Lydia K
    April 16th, 2010 at 7:50 am

    Usually my problem is I get so involved in writing my housework falls to the wayside and i need to step back and live a normal life for a while!
    But coming back after a break and seeing the MS with fresh eyes is ALWAYS super helpful.

  4. Jonathon Arntson
    April 16th, 2010 at 7:54 am

    Good thoughts.

  5. Laura Pauling
    April 16th, 2010 at 8:05 am

    Great questions! I agree.

  6. annastan
    April 16th, 2010 at 8:16 am

    Karen, you’re absolutely right that you shouldn’t give up, but sometimes a break can help you get a story going again.

    Elle, that’s so true! Even if you love your WIP, spending too much time with it can start to wear on you.

    Lydia, you don’t even want to see the state of my house when I’m immersed in writing! It’s frightening. :-) But yes, taking a break and coming back to your writing can be eye-opening.

    Thanks, Jon and Laura!

  7. Julie
    April 16th, 2010 at 8:25 am

    Wow, were you watching me? It’s nice to know it’s normal to feel this way sometimes. Thanks!

  8. Lisa G.
    April 16th, 2010 at 9:46 am

    I love your blog. Seriously. Every time I come here, I find something worthwhile, either to commiserate or learn or whatever. Thank you!

  9. annastan
    April 16th, 2010 at 10:25 am

    Julie, I HAVE been watching you. In fact, I’m always watching. *smiles creepily* But yes, you are definitely NOT alone in feeling this way!

    Aw, thank you, Lisa! You just made me grin like a fool. I’m so glad you enjoy my posts. Thanks for reading!

  10. Andrea Vlahakis
    April 16th, 2010 at 10:40 am

    Yes, guilty on all five counts :) , but it’s #4 that makes me realize I need to step away. (Can you hear me chuckling all the way up there in MA?)

  11. Laura Marcella
    April 16th, 2010 at 11:50 am

    Terrific questions. I agree! Stepping away from my WIP gives BOTH of us time to breathe, haha.

  12. annastan
    April 16th, 2010 at 3:26 pm

    Andrea, I thought I heard a faint chuckle earlier. :-) #4 is a pesky one, isn’t it? You can tell yourself you’re “polishing” but often that’s an excuse not to actually do any work.

    Thanks, Laura! You know, you’re probably right that our WIPs get just as sick of us as we do of them!

  13. Catherine A. Winn
    April 16th, 2010 at 9:07 pm

    I had to laugh at these because I’ve done them all! When #5 rears its ugly head, I shove the whole thing in a drawer and do something else.

  14. Sheri Larsen
    April 17th, 2010 at 1:45 pm

    I love that you pointed out there may be a time when one needs to step back. #5 is where I was recently. Stepping back has helped and reminded me that I’ve been here before and ‘this too shall pass…’ “;-) Thanks.

  15. annastan
    April 17th, 2010 at 2:39 pm

    Catherine, I think we’ve all been there at one time or another! In my experience, #5 can be dangerous since you lose all perspective on the story and might wind up doing more harm than good if you do any more work on the manuscript. Putting it in a drawer is a wise decision!

    Sheri, I’m glad stepping back has been helpful. Knowing this happens to other people (and to us with previous projects) somehow helps, doesn’t it? It reminds us that it’s all part of the process.

  16. John Rea-Hedrick
    April 17th, 2010 at 8:33 pm

    Thanks Anna! I really needed that. :)

  17. marcia
    April 18th, 2010 at 7:04 am

    Good tips. Often we worry that stepping back is wasting time, but the freshness with which we come back to it helps us see it so much better.

  18. BleeBonn
    April 18th, 2010 at 10:00 am

    I cracked up when I read #2. I was just in this slump recently because of #5. I was definitely feeling like it was stupid. I even told my husband, “who is going to read a made up story,” then he said, “what do you think stories are?”

    It made me feel better but still took several days to get out of that one. :)

  19. annastan
    April 18th, 2010 at 12:12 pm

    John, you’re very welcome. Happy writing!

    Thanks, Marcia! I think we do tend to rush things and not want to step back because, like you said, it can feel like a waste of time. But taking a break can be so helpful, as long as we make sure to come back!

    Blee, I think #5 is the worst one because you really can’t tell if the problem is you or if it’s the manuscript. I’m glad you were able to fight your way through it. Good luck!