November Wrap-Up

 

Dear Readers,

After trying more times than I'd like to admit to, my idea of writing a blog post earlier this month on the struggles of a writer being unable to participate in NaNoWriMo and simultaneously feeling guilty for not participating did not happen. And so here we are with a rather boring monthly wrap-up post. 

The month started slowly as I tried to once again form a sort of routine to fall into. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. It feels as though as I wandered through the month of November looking for something to do while being surrounded by things to do. 

Then it hit me. I was behind on the number of books that I wanted to read this year, so I have challenged myself to read at least 20 books during the month of December. Will I actually finish 20 books in one month that is filled with Christmas fill-in-the-blank-everything? Probably not, but who doesn't love a good challenge?

In other exciting news, I poked my old NaNo project... I wrote about 500 words that will probably get edited out later, but hey, I wrote, so that counts for something. 

The podcasts for this month centered on the Reformation because that was where my brain was last month and I think I'm running about a month behind schedule in my processing functions. This month I'm doing at least one person who had a connection to the first Thanksgiving... 

For the 400th anniversary of the first Thanksgiving, my family and I went down to our old romping grounds and spent the weekend with family. I also got to spend an afternoon with one of my roommates from camp, which was a blessing. 

I don't know what next month will look like posting-wise, but I'd like to do a Story Behind the Carol post, comment below if that is something you'd like me to do!

I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving! Merry Christmas! 

Blessings,

Mattie May

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