Overcoming Writer’s Burnout :\

@writerlexi1216 Ah, yes, the first time I won NaNoWriMo I didn’t write another word for 4 months. Not worth it lol. But since then I’ve built up my writing muscles.

For me I just keep floundering around in water like I’m about to drown. I tell myself I’m gonna keep writing, but in reality it’s so painful I can only get out 100 words a day. But that’s okay. I think it’s dangerous when you start making excuses for yourself not to write, such as, “I just wrote so much, I deserve a break”, etc. Keep trying, keep pushing yourself, eventually you’ll climb out. But don’t push yourself too much. Try to write a teeny-tiny bit every day, and that’s enough.

Also, starting new projects. Starting something new is always helpful.

@writerlexi1216 Ah, writer’s burnout… It’s such fun, isn’t it? :)))

As for my experiences with the subject: I went through a ~3-year period where I barely wrote at all, and am actually currently in the midst of somewhat of a dry spell. As such, a  lot of what I’m about to say is advice that was given to me (much of which was said by your brother, so you know :P)

So, with that in mind, my advice to you, in no particular order, is as follows:

1). It’s okay to take a break.

Seriously. It’s okay to step back and to not be creative at all for a while. Most of the following advice is geared around this assumption–you might not need or want to take a break, but it’s more than okay either way. <3

2) See if you can identify why you’re feeling burned out. (Way easier said than done, I know.) Are you just exhausted from the creative marathon that is NaNo? If so, take time to let your writing muscles heal up –athletes do it all the time, so why shouldn’t writers? 😛 Do you feel like your writing just isn’t “good enough” and that stress is holding you back? (Your writing definitely is good enough, but I also get how that can be a battle.) For me, a lot of my burnout had to do with “life things.” My 3-years-of-mostly-not-writing was largely due to said life things making me feel paralyzed and trapped in a cycle of perfectionism. My current “dry spell” is due to…well, some of those same life things, except instead of funneling those emotions into writing, I’m actually taking the time to examine and deal with them instead. That’s about as fun as it sounds, but it’s actually a very good thing. A little bit like pulling teeth, but still good. <3 Anyway, I say all that to say that sometimes real life is enough to handle without trying to pressure yourself to be creative.

3) Consuming art is just as valid as making art

Your creativity can be kind of like a well, or a pool, or a glass of lemonade. You gotta refill it every so often, you know? This is kind of similar to trying out a new kind of art form or style writing, but even more so. Immerse yourself in the stories/books/video games/artwork/music/etc. that you love. Being a consumer is just as important as being a creator. If everyone was just making things 24/7, we’d have all these wonderful works of art sitting around unappreciated. Regardless of whether or not you decide to indeed take a break, make sure you’re taking time to do other things you enjoy. It’s okay not to be productive 100% of the time, which leads me into my next point:

4) Do it because it’s fun

I know for me, it can be really easy to make writing into something that feels like work. Like, in some senses, it is, but in a much more real way, it isn’t. Writing is an art, and art doesn’t have to follow any particular formula. Do you have a random scene you’re just dying to write? Write it down! Do you want to draw your characters instead of writing about them? Go for it! It can be really easy to create really harsh criteria around what being a writer means–how many words you write in a day, what your routine looks like, etc. But at the end of the day, writing should be fun and enjoyable. There aren’t any deadlines. There isn’t any pressure. It’s okay to just take your time and enjoy the process.

5) Give yourself time to heal

My last piece of advice is this: to give yourself time to recover and heal. Burnout is like an injury or illness–it takes time to recover. I wish it were an overnight, quick-fix kind of issue, but unfortunately it rarely happens like that. Don’t try to force yourself to be not-burned-out, or beat yourself up for feeling this way. I promise that it will get better and easier, but you’re not somehow lesser-than for needing time to heal. Be kind and gentle with yourself, alright? It will all be alright in the end <3

Wow, that turned into an essay! I would apologize, but I shan’t. 😛 Anyway, dear Lexi, what you’re feeling is valid, and you won’t be burned out forever. You have my email (at least I think you do–do you?), so I’m here if you ever want to talk about creative things or just life in general. You got this, girl! <3

@writerlexi1216

I totally get ya, Lexi! I love writing The Apostle’s Sister but feel blegh so many times with it. XD I’d say that if you feel passionate about a story and feel a strong urge to write it that doesn’t go away, it’s God’s nudging and you can begin doing small things like character profiles or just jotting down a few plot points hanging out in ya brain. That’s how I feel with TAS, and I’ve found that the easiest way to recover from burnout is to write that story, ’cause we write for God after all! I’ve been overcoming my burnout by working on some character profiles for Temira, Paul, Seth, and Reuben, as well as daydreaming about a new character I’m gonna start developing pretty soon. Doing small things like filling out one character profile per day or writing 100 words in an outline, can really help!

A few more fun ideas you can try to get yourself back into the swing of things are:

1) Make memes for your book. Yes, I did this recently for TAS and it was amazing. XD

2) Write from a random outside person’s perspective. Like choose an ambiguous citizen from your fantasy world and write a couple short paragraphs from their POV where they talk about running into the MC of your WIP. This is actually quite fun and can generate new ideas!

3) Pretend you are your MC, and write a poem or diary entry – but not as yourself, as your MC. Think about what your MC would write and what their “author voice” would be like if they were a writer. Or you could imagine what the main characters of your book would be like as writers! What genre would they write, are they a pantser, plotter, or plantser, etc. I’ve been seeing those around Instagram and they are so fun.

Hope this helps! <333

Of course!!! Good luck!!!