Dealing with Writer's Burnout

 

Hello Readers!

As you might guess from the title of this post and my posting infrequency, this post has something to do with writer's burnout. In this post, I'd like to talk about what writer's burnout is and how I'm dealing with it, and how you can deal with it too. 

Some of you all know, I took on a huge project for NaNoWriMo last year. As a result of this and several other factors, I wore myself out. I have been burnt to a crisp. 

What is Writer's Burnout?

Writer's burnout is basically a loss of interest, a loss of physical and mental energy, loss of motivation, and a loss of words. It is usually a result of stress. 

How I knew I was Dealing with Writer's Burnout:

When NaNo started last year I was already tired from the life things going on around me. In retrospect, I should have chosen a different project. By mid-NaNo I was ready to just quit that project and try a new one it was so exhausting. Looking back, I should have. 

The problem for me is that I'm still getting story ideas. I still want to write. Until I sit in front of my blank document and wonder what I should write. 

Processing Writer's Burnout: 

I've been feeling a lot of guilt from not writing. A writer should write every day, every chance they get... right??? Wrong. So very wrong. I've had to learn to accept that my ability to write is not the same as it was before burnout, and it may or may not return. 

The other frustrating side of it is it might not affect all areas of writing. For me, I have almost zero motivation to write blog posts or finish my NaNo project. Yet at the same time, I've written over 1k of poetry. I'm not sure about the quality of that poetry, but at least I'm writing something. 

Encouragement for those Dealing with Writer's Burnout:

It won't last forever. Sure, you might not be able to return to writing the way you once did, but it won't last forever. I will love the day when I can open my NaNo project and finish the story, but for now, it will have to wait. And I can let it wait knowing that one day, hopefully soon, I'll have the energy to come back to it. 

Avoiding Writer's Burnout:

I have to say that a lot of times writer's burnout is stress-related, so to prevent it, take care of the stress in your life and don't let it eat your health and energy. 

Tips for Dealing with Writer's Burnout: 

Tip one: Writer's burnout means you're not going to be able to write the way you used to until you recharge. This means you're going to have to learn how you recharge, be that getting more exercise or taking a nap. Your mental and physical batteries have to reach one-hundred percent. 

Tip two: It will look different for you, then other people. While you're burnt out, don't compare your writing habits or quality to someone who isn't struggling with writer's burnout. 

Tip three: Try something new. If you're burnt out in the area of writing a novel, try to write a poem or short story. Last month I wrote a couple very short stories, and it felt so good to write. Even if you aren't focusing on your main project, you're still writing. 

That wraps it up for today y'all. Hopefully, I'll get recharged and be able to post more frequently soon! 

Blessings, 
Mattie May