Last month Tim Berry wrote about learning that a stop sign requires a full stop—one where the car rolls backward slightly—and how that reminded him of decision making. That sometimes we all need a full stop now and again to think things through and prepare ourselves to head off again in the right direction.
I couldn't help but think of how the same concept applies to writing. The need to stop comes at different times for different writers but if we want our writing to be the best it can be, we all need to stop sometimes. Some writers can spend days on end at their computers pushing out a rough draft and won't stop to breathe until it's done, while others (like me) need to write a bit then stop and think, then write again just to finish the initial copy—but we all have to a take a break; because if we drive through a stop sign, our writing suffers for it.
Tell me in the comments—when do you stop? Are you a full-draft-first kind of writer or a bits-and-pieces person (like I am)? Are there other road signs that apply to your writing? I want to hear about it!