State of the Author

Take the month off. Write when you feel like for a month and stock up chapters. A week isn’t enough.

1 and 2. If you decide you don’t need the full month you can always split the difference, or leverage the extra weeks to build a back log for when you need a break in the future. Love the content and the output. Do whatever you need to maintain quality in both writing and your personal life.

Having worked retail, 100% take the time you need to de-stress after the BS that is the holidays. And taking a week for yourself after each book seems more than reasonable. You can use that week to go back and make edits or to increase backlog or plot out story beats you want to hit or avoid. I also don't mind if you keep Patron active during said break in Jan. I know how much hours get cut as soon as the holidays tick over.

I personally support 1 and 2. Letting yourself recoup for a month while also letting some things bake a little longer I think could really help you and the story both now and in the future. But also giving yourself just natural breaks built into your production will do you far more favors to breathe however long you make this. I'll always support an author taking time for themselves over keeping up the flow of content

2

For a creative slump I think an occasional 1-4 week break is good as long as you are mindful about where you are breaking in the story. For exhaustion from being five days a week workaholics and/or for buffer building, some find that dropping to a 2 or 3 per week schedule for awhile until the buffer is full works better, as it keeps you visible while still letting you slack off a bit. All in all though - many of us appreciate the gift of story and want you to be a happy provider.

Week off after book creation + maybe reduce a chapter a week (but keep writing at pace) to build up a 'patreon stockpile' and use that to take actual time off when you want?

Worst thing that can happen is ruining your health for a self imposed deadline. I think take January and admin weeks every so often to edit/plan/rest. Health is way more important than us getting extra chapters, especially since a lot of the really prolific authors I've followed have hit a wall and needed multiple months to recover.

I like authors that schedule "admin weeks" and while they don't write they do other things. Like rest or plot out the next few chapters. An admin week doesn't sound like a break. Having a break all through January sounds like a great way to reset after a solid period doing solid writing. I'd then plan an admin week every so often, keep patreon ticking over during those weeks.

I vote two weeks in January and a week off every book.

I think personally your output has been incredibly consistent and impressive. I also feel like I trust you as an author because of your communication. Finally I really like this story and wouldn’t want you to run the risk of burning out or losing motivation. All that to say I think you’re safe to both 1 and 2.

I would do 2 it's kind of the standard for web serial authors whenever they finish a book take a week off to rest recover and plan the next steps.