One often overlooked step in writing your novel is to take a break between drafts. After weeks of focusing on the same characters, events, themes and setting it’s important to take a step back for a few weeks and give your brain a rest. That way you can return to your manuscript energized to make the story even better.
Here are 8 1/2 things you can do during that break.
1. Research Agents & Publishers
If you are planning to publish your novel you will want a list of potential agents and publishers. Duotrope and Publisher’s Marketplace are fantastic resources. This is also a time when you’ll want to look into how to write the best possible query letter.
2. Work on a Blog
A blog is a great way to keep your writing skills sharp (and maybe developing a few new skills) while resting the novel-writing part of your brain. Plus it encourages you to connect to others online.
3. Work on Short Stories
This is my favorite thing to do between drafts. You’re still working those creative fiction muscles but on a much smaller scale and there is significantly less time commitment. You can definitely write one or two strong 4-5 K short stories and submit them to publication over the course of a few weeks. Plus, if you get published that’ll just make your query letter even stronger. If you’re looking for places that publish short stories you can also use some of these.
4. Read!
I would suggest that writers should be reading all the time, but if you are taking a break between drafts now would be your chance to invest more time in the books you want to catch up on. Maybe pick a few that are significantly different from your manuscript in order to pull your brain out of that genre.
5. Get Out And See The World
This doesn’t necessarily have to be a cross-country trip (many of us simply can’t do that these days for a lot of reasons). What I am suggesting here is to take the opportunity to step out into the world a little more. See friends you haven’t seen in a while. Visit museums. Look for cool places to hike, anywhere that will give you more life experience and maybe expand your mind.
6. Take A Writing Class
One of the best ways to meet other writers is to take creative writing workshops. Public libraries offer plenty of free workshops. You can also look into the Bethesda Writer’s Center for some fantastic in-person and virtual events, and there are always plenty of writers conferences.
7. Just Take A Break
You know what? Life is stressful enough as it is. Writing a novel is stressful. Sometimes you just need a couple weeks where you have just a little extra breathing room in your schedule.
1/2. Finally….
Right before your break ends I usually (although this isn’t for everyone) take a couple days to prepare the next draft. I often make an outline, so I have a compact version of the novel with a list of all the changes that need to be made. That way we’re ready to hit the ground running and write the best damn book possible.
