Five Ways to Maximize a Writer's Break by Mary A. Felkins

Congratulations! We’ve made progress on our daily word count goal and now a well-deserved break is calling.

Shouting, maybe?

We agree to climb out of our writing cave and then what? How will we answer?

Whether we plan a break or the break comes begging... “Can we stop for a bit, please? My backside and brain is numb”... there’s wisdom in making the break count.

Otherwise, what was meant to refresh and renew the heart, mind, and spirit can result in wasted time.

Five Ways to Maximize a Writer’s Break

1) Gather names and scene ideas
It may sound counter-productive to take a break while also keeping our WIP in mind, but we can still use the time off to tune into our surroundings. The simple observation of a couple enjoying a hot dog purchased from a street vendor and shared while sitting on the dock might be a refreshing change from characters eating at a restaurant. The unexpected always adds value to our readers. Going up the road to run a quick errand? (okay, for me that means a Coke Zero from the gas station) Use the time to study people--without being creepy. We might meet someone whose demeanor inspires the creation of a new character among our current WIP cast. And not only is a kind introduction a neglected common courtesy, someone's first or last name could be a perfect fit for our WIP.

2) Don’t gather names and scene ideas
When we're led to leave our WIP behind, we may be surprised when ideas come looking for us. I’ve often gathered story inspiration when and where I least expect it. For example, working out at the gym alongside another member, learning of their upbringing, career, and/or life experiences, has provided a field ripe for harvesting character backstory. Double bonus if their first or last name is one I can use.

3) Give Our Characters the Floor
Like a child with several siblings, it could be our characters are struggling to get a word in edgewise while our busy brain has been fussing over what to do with them. Hands free from wild keyboard tapping, let’s sit still and let our characters do the talking. They might tell us what they’re feeling about what just happened or what they fear might happen next and we can incorporate their “feedback” into our stories.

4) Pray. Often.
It doesn’t matter how long or rich our time with God was in the morning if we’ve left Him in the dust by lunch time. Stuck on a scene? Plot all wrong? Characters aren’t right? God isn’t baffled. He knows our story from beginning to end and holds the final product in His hands. Let's maximize our break time by asking Him to illuminate our minds, redirect our stories if necessary, and inspire new ideas from His endless warehouse of creativity.

5) Do absolutely nothing
A break is a break for a reason. In my experience, productivity comes to a halt if I persist in writing when God has called me to rest. When away from our work, we’re free to sit outside and stare at a tree, if necessary. Great reward awaits when we completely disengage from WIP and retreat from mental writer land.

I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother…is my soul within me. Psalm 131:2 (NIV)

The best thing about taking a break is God—the Author—doesn’t need one. He never tires. And doesn't scramble to make up for "lost time" because we’ve stepped away for a few minutes.

Hours. Weeks. Or years.

He Who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Psalm 121:3-4 (NIV)

How do you use your writing break? I’d love to hear what’s worked (and what hasn’t) for you.

Let's maximize our break time by asking Him to illuminate our minds, redirect our stories if necessary, and inspire new ideas from His endless warehouse of creativity. @MaryAFelkins #amwriting #writerbreak #SeriouslyWrite 

The best thing about taking a writer’s break is God—the Author—doesn’t need one. He never tires.
He doesn’t scramble to make up for "lost time" because we’ve stepped away for a time. @MaryAFelkins #amwriting #writerbreak #SeriouslyWrite

Mary A. Felkins writes weekly story-style devotionals on her blog and is a contributor to Refresh, an on-line publication of Lighthouse Bible Study magazine. Her debut, inspirational romance novel, Call To Love, (www.pelicanbookgroup) will be released November 15th, 2019. The completed cover anxiously awaits being partnered with the story behind it.

Raised in Houston, Texas–and forever a Lone Star girl-she and her husband Bruce moved to the foothills of North Carolina in 1997. They have four (adolescent to young adult-sized) arrows in her quiver. She can be lured from her writing cave if presented with a large, unopened bag of Pnut M&Ms or to watch Fixer Upper. A surprise appearance by her teen idol, Donny Osmond, would also do the trick, although she’d likely pass out.

If, upon introduction, she likes your first or last name, expect to see it show up in one of her novels.

Call to Love, inspirational romance coming in November...

What if saying yes to love means trusting the kind of man you said you’d never marry? What if pursuing a woman’s heart means restoring a painful past?

Tracy Cassidy, a fiercely independent ED nurse, must choose between her dream job or staying in her hometown to help support her mother’s faltering ministry. Even if it means risking her heart in love with the kind of man she said she’d never marry.

Why sign up to be Laurelton’s next cop widow?

Tom DeLaney, a hyper-vigilant cop and new hire from Texas, is wearied by years of failed rescue attempts to save his marriage to his ex. A free man, he moves to the foothills of North Carolina. Thing is, he hadn’t expected to fall for Tracy, his supervisor’s sister. But when his adolescent son is diagnosed with a chronic illness, he faces the risk of loving another woman with keep-out issues.

Fears related to the death of Tracy’s cop father and Tom’s inability to forgive the past threaten to sabotage any chance at love.

To trust again means surrender. Will they risk their hearts and answer the call?

Connect with Mary
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Hello, My Name is Mary

Mary Albers Felkins

Following an invitation from fellow author, Dawn Kinzer, my first article for Seriously Write (“Entrusted”) was published last April. What a thrill!

Prior to the article's publication and eager to virtually sit at the feet of other contributors throughout the week, I subscribed.

Mind you, not every blog that spills into the ever-bulging walls of my inbox gets my attention. This one always does. 

So to be asked to join the amazing team of Seriously Write authors as a hostess and administrate posts for Aspiring Author Tuesdays was—and is—an honor.

Time for proper intro and a bit of backstory.

Hello, my name is Mary. (makes me think of those annoying adhesive name tags we always forget we're wearing until the WalMart cashier glances at it with a wry grin)

My husband and I were both raised in Houston, Texas. In 1997, God moved us to the foothills of North Carolina. And whadya know, they have these things here called seasons, our monochromatic world now ablaze with color each fall.

We've been blessed with four semi-adult children, ages 17-25. They make for excellent writing material.

Years ago, in the mix of home educating these young souls, I worked as a Clinical Dietitian while also acquiring a Master’s Degree in Nutrition. Hey, I like food.

I maintained a private nutrition counseling practice and, for a short season, conducted 90-minute nutrition education tours - To Market With Mary 😊 - at a local grocery store.

Did I mention I like food?

But wait, wha—?? How does one go from home education and working as a Dietitian to… a writer?

Because I believe that undeniable “God stuff” that makes us writers has always been there. Only it didn’t surface—knocking pretty loudly—until my children became more independent, creating more brain space for me to revisit the joys of writing I’d experienced as a child.

You see, once upon a time I’d scribbled numerous stories on unlined paper and stapled the sheets together to make a real “book.” Even created my own logo on the back (construction paper) flap for authenticity. Without realizing it, I’d been watering the seed of a dream God chose to grow into a reality.

Today, my first inspirational romance novel, Call To Love, will be released this November. I have a literary agent and publish weekly, story-style devos on my website. I've been a guest on other blogs and have several articles featured in on-line publications.

My point? As writers, we have what it takes, though the "it" will need to be honed and re-worked and polished. And that's is when it gets difficult. That's when the joy seeps out unaware and we become weary. That's when we cave to thoughts of giving up.

Aspiring Author Tuesdays will continue to draw us away from the pit of discouragement, lift our eyes to the Lord, and sharpen our skills.

If called by God—the Author—the stories we carry in our hearts are like an uncut slab of marble, a Louvre-worthy masterpiece waiting to emerge. The chiseling will be painful but the beauty will be a blessing to the beholders.

Until next time, may God bless and protect our efforts.

P.S. My children have the worst eating habits. So much for those degrees in nutrition.

Entrusted: Why You Can’t Have My Journey by Mary Albers Felkins

Mary Albers  Felkins

No matter how successful we may become, there will always be someone who receives more or better contracts, more reviews, or perhaps more recognition in general. How do we—should we—handle it? Mary Albers Felkins shares words of wisdom. ~ Dawn

Entrusted: Why You Can’t Have My Journey

I’ve been at this writing adventure for over five years now (middle school years, scribbling stories in spiral notebooks notwithstanding). It began in the summer of 2012 with a pretty straightforward statement, delivered on the heels of an ominous conversation with my husband related to our wobbly financial status at the time. “I’m going to write a book.”

Okay, given the situation, most rational people might search for a job to help contribute, some source of ready income. Not me. How hard could this be? Self said.

Give it up for cheery ignorance.

Since that day I’ve learned plenty about plot structure, character development, tension, conflict. Weeding through the thickness of those things called sentences, I’ve sharpened my ability to edit where needed. Score!

But on a grander scale, I’ve learned the necessity of disregarding a particular, repeat offender word that seeps back into my hard-wired brain.

It’s, well—hushed whisper—the ‘c’ word.

You know. Comparison.

Gasp. She said it.

Yes, I did. Here’s why.

With reference to Himself, the Lord is not a fan of comparison.(“Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.” Isaiah 44:8b; “I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God.” 45:5a) Unless… I’m making good use of comparison for the purpose of becoming stronger, of better character, to become more like Him on this writing journey.

Given the way He knit me in my mother’s womb to be unlike any other person, this walking, talking, thinking, breathing package called humanity can’t be duplicated. My quirks and pet peeves, metabolic rate, stature, eye, skin and hair color, my personality and (partly sunny) disposition are all reflections of an Almighty Creator God. And He is wholly pleased with His creation. (Psalm 139:13-14)

And so it is with the writing adventure He’s given me. And you. They are beyond compare. So when Sally Sue’s novel is contracted for a movie deal and mine isn’t…or I’ve knocked on editors/agents/publishers’ doors for several years and still haven’t been offered a contract…

What gives?

God is sovereign over the process. And the process itself is, in fact, His goal.

Given that encouraging truth, it’s helped me to remember the reason why I’m not to compare in destructive ways:

God has entrusted me with not only the story but with the journey it takes to get it into the hands of His intended readers. For His purposes.

Do I receive the challenge—with its highs and lows—as one entrusted with a precious and unique gift? Or do I flit my gaze away like an envious lover, wondering why Sally Sue seems to have found more success than, ahem, I have?

One sure fire way for me to insult the capital ‘A’ Author is to reject His unique plan and purpose. Because, just as my fingerprints don’t match up with any other individual, my writing experience is—and should be—different.

Basically, you can’t have my journey and I can’t have yours. Wherever today finds you, may you be encouraged as one entrusted with the gift of writing and celebrate the process.

Coming Soon!

Call To Love

Call To Love

Tracy Cassidy, a self-reliant ED nurse, must choose between her dream job or staying in her hometown to help support her mother's faltering ministry. Even if it means falling in love with the kind of man she said she'd never marry. Why risk being Laurelton's next cop widow?

Tom DeLaney, a hyper-vigilant cop and new hire from Texas, is wearied by failed rescue attempts to save his marriage. After he moves to the foothills of North Carolina, he didn't expectto fall for Tracy, but when his adolescent son is diagnosed with a chronic illness, he faces the risk of loving another woman with keep-out issues.

Fears related to the death of Tracy's cop father and Tom's inability to forgive the past threaten to sabotage any chance at love.

To trust again means surrender. Will they risk their hearts and answer the call to love?

Mary A. Felkins is originally from Houston, Texas. She moved to the foothills of North Carolina in 1997 with Bruce, her husband of 28 years. They have four semi-adult children in their quiver, Anthony, Alexandra, Jonathan and Caroline. She can be lured from her writing cave with a large, unopened bag of Peanut M&Ms or an episode of Fixer Upper. In addition to maintaining her weekly blog, Mary’s Musings, she writes contemporary romance, featuring relatable characters who discover transforming Truth that stirs the soul. She is represented by Cyle Young of The Hartline Agency. Call To Love, is her first novel, set in her hometown Hickory, N.C.

Connect with Mary and learn more …

Author Website: http://maryfelkins.com

Author Email: maryafelkins@gmail.com

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