After more than twenty years of writing professionally, recently I took a “sabbatical.” And I’ll be the first to admit that I did it all wrong. I just stopped on a dime and didn’t produce anything for publication for several weeks.

Recharging your batteries by taking time off is wonderful. Here’s how to do it properly.

Have a plan.

I’ve been known to boast about the plethora of story ideas floating around in my head, and I’ve never had writer’s block in my life. So I was shocked when all of a sudden I stopped writing. During this “sabbatical” when normally I’d be scribbling away during my commute to and from work or at the laundromat, I instead sat and stared into space. I realize now that I needed this nothingness. From now on, I’ll be responsible and plan for it in advance.

Keep everyone in the loop.

When I suddenly stopped writing for no apparent reason, I didn’t tell anyone at first—even those I owed work. Finally, I explained that I was not writing. Further, I expressed my fears that perhaps I’d written all I could write and it was time for me to stop. As it turns out editors and other stakeholders were very understanding. I continued my impromptu sabbatical, but this time with a much clearer conscience.

Know you deserve it.

I think the reason I never took a writing-free vacation before is because for my entire career, I’ve been trying to prove something. There are romance novelists who are so prolific they produce a novel every quarter year after year. Once I interviewed such an author who told me she can write 10,000 words in one setting! I wanted to be like her. Since I’m not, I felt I did not deserve a break. In fact deep down inside, I believed I should have been working more, not less.

My accidental sabbatical was a wake up call. I can’t compare myself to other writers. While I don’t write three books a year, I do write every day. That kind of dedication should be rewarded with time off every so often.

Return refreshed!

Since I had not planned to take time off, I did not set goals for what I wanted to achieve during the break. My goals could have been to get more rest or to just clear my head of all writing projects and their corresponding deadlines. I did both. And one day after about six or seven weeks, I just started to write again. I began a funny little story solely to entertain myself. This was the greatest accomplishment of all.

By taking time off, I rediscovered why I started to write in the first place. I did not write for publication when I was a kid. I wrote because it was fun!

Thus inspired I made several outlines and began to write articles in earnest again, keeping in mind my true purpose in writing—to enjoy it.