Sunday, June 14, 2009

An outlet away from writing: Drawing


Take on a hobby outside of Writing

I just thought I should share that you should write and not overdo it. I just recently picked up on drawing. I'm still an amateur though. Whenever you write until your neck is stiff and your head hurts, you have to take a break.



While working out in the gym, I can feel the strained muscles on the back of my neck. The shoulder workouts are the worst. With every movement, the muscles tear more and more.



Writing is best done in spurts

Don't burn yourself trying to rush work. Think of writing like reading. Most people don't finish reading a book in one day. They take their time to dissect each chapter to fully understand the scenes, setting, and the plot. After producing a ton of work in the past few years, the excessive writing finally caught up to me. Writing should be done in the same manner.



The type of writing determines your level of exhaustion

Writing non-fiction creative writing pieces are more soothing than taking on highly critical academic work that you despise. The next time your assigned an essay, research paper, or a take home test, take your time to outline the work. Know what you areas you want to touch upon. Cold academic writing is one of the most strenuous activities for the mind. Take your time to outline, locate sources, and try to enjoy the project. Pick something interesting and don't stress.



Avoid Writing Burnout

Take it easy to avoid burning yourself out, especially if your primary job is a writer. Writing film and television scripts, trying to meet a magazine and newspapers deadlines, and trying to complete academic projects are stressful moments. Your mind can only take so much before it begins to short circuit. Try to find an outlet away from writing.



Noticing writing burnout

When I overwrite, I become more critical about the quality of the work. No matter how much I revise the work, it never appears good enough. After taking a moment to rest, I return back to the same work. The work that I tried to revise didn't require any revisions. Taking some time to rest improves your ability to process information. Computers need to be shutdown. Humans overload their minds the same way as computers do with processing requests. Try to avoid burnout and you will immediately notice the improvements - both mentally and physically.

Good luck on your writing!

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