A break between Drafts? How long?

[izis]

I've read that its very important to take a break between completing each draft. Especially between your rough and 1st draft.

I'm wondering how long of a break I should take between my 3rd and 4th draft. Its only been 2 days and I'm already dying to get back to it.

Is this ill-advised ? I'm thinking of starting the process on Monday or am I still too close to the material and need more time to come at it with fresh eyes?

How long of a break do you take between drafts?

 

[Modern Day Myth Prod. LLC]

When your gut tells you, you're ready. You're ready. You feel it. Listen to your muse. Inspiration can grab you at the strangest times. I've read stories of writing waking from their sleep at 3 AM and start writing. I've even done it once or twice myself.

 

[Jim Vines]

How long to wait??

When you're just starting off in the writing game, it's all about trial and error. Do what works best for you; do what your gut tells you. If you feel a couple days is enough, then take a couple of days. If you feel you need a month, then take a month. There are no absolutes in any of this. It's important that you find YOUR way.

On the other hand, if you're working on an assignment, you won't have the luxury of taking your sweet time on that script. Nope, those producers are gonna want the script NOW. So you need to learn to work on a deadline and under pressure. Anyway, this is something to think about when you decide you want to put your blockbuster on ice for a few months before tackling a second or third draft..

Come visit me at: http://www.JimVinesTheWriter.com

 

[Lando2]

Try to get to the point where you arent thinking about it at all. However long that takes. A week will rarely give you "fresh eyes" because at least 3 of those 7 days were spent rewriting scenes in your head.

Let it become a stranger the next time you pick it up, then focus on the story STRUCTURE first. Do your three acts make sense, do your characters arc, does it pace well etc. Really analyze it, tear it apart as if an amateur wrote it and find all the mistakes and things that don't work such as scenes or entire characters.

Then you can focus on fixing small mistakes and grammar, making the descriptions a little tighter etc.