Anyway, I have holidays and vacation in mind because I've been thinking a lot about the idea of a hiatus, a word that always makes me think of a tropical getaway.
For writers, a hiatus is basically an intentional break from a work-in-progress, usually after completion of a draft. The purpose is to give us some space from that project, to let us delete it from our daily to-do and to-concern-myself-with lists.
We stop working on that WIP, we put it away in a drawer, we let it collect dust for some amount of time, and then we read it with fresh eyes.
Most of you know this already. In fact, you probably have taken a writer's hiatus of your own, or even several hiati (uh huh). And we'd all like to hear about your experiences.
Here's what I want us to explore together:
-- How long should it last?
-- What should we do, or avoid doing, while it's happening?
-- What do we do
when it's over?
-- How do we avoid turning a hiatus into a permanent vacation?
Have any thoughts? I'd love to hear 'em. You can always write me in private simply by replying to this message, but I think we can all benefit from your wisdom.
