Drinking lots of water ensures I take breaks. The bladder fills. The bladder has to be emptied.
I also take reading breaks. If I go to a writing retreat, where I'm writing for 2-3 days, I'll occasionally stop and read for 20 minutes. The inspiration well runs low, so it gets replenished.
Doodling is also what I do during breaks. Zentangle is a methodical way of doodling, and when I need to take a longer break (like an hour or so) I might work on some zentangling. For example, I might work on zentangling some notecards or some other project. As I'm drawing the straight lines, the curved lines, as I'm filling in some of the spaces with a black marker, I get more relaxed and my mind goes blank...
... and when my mind goes blank, new ideas for whatever my WIP is can come creeping in.
If you're interested, just google "zentangle" and you'll be deluged by hundreds and hundreds of pattern ideas. There's books you can buy as well. And if you think 'I can't draw, so I can't zentangle,' you're wrong.
If you can draw a (semi) straight line. If you can draw a curvy line. If you can draw dots. If you can draw more-or-less round circles... you can zentangle. And if you try it, you just might find it's a way to open up your mind for more difficult artistic endeavors... like writing.
Do you take breaks from your writing? And if you do, what do you do during your breaks? Doodling minds want to know.
