My Writing Journey #4: Stepping Away


For the past 2 weeks I've been focusing heavily on getting my novel planned and ready to be started. However, I've realized that the planning can go on forever and I'll have to start actually writing at some point. I've been itching to dive right into starting the first few chapters and seeing where my characters take me, but I decided instead to step away from my outline for a week and let it simmer in my mind before I move onto the next phase.

The reason I want to do this is because by stepping away for a short period of time the ideas I've come up with will continue to dance around my mind as I formulate the story and the actions my characters will take. It'll also give me time to recognize any issues or plot points I don't like and rework those. The reason I don't want to finish my outline completely before I start is because I'm a snowflake when it comes to my writing process - I like to plan a little, write a little. If I were to adhere to a perfectly planned out story then I would quickly lose interest in it and my characters would become static. I want to let my characters grow on their own and let me know what they're made of before I force them into certain roles.   

So, for the next little bit I'm going to step away from my novel, work on some personal essays, and preparing some blog posts. I'm hoping to remain active on all my platforms and projects rather than putting all my focus and effort into one. 

Do you ever step away from your work?