Dealing with Writer’s Burnout

Writing is exciting. It is also exhausting. Crafting a story is an intense and intellectual endeavor that requires concentration, creativity, time, energy and the ability to make hard decisions. Small wonder that artists are called tortured souls. Creating anything means removing pieces of yourself and putting them into your work.

It is enjoyable, though. I don’t write because I have to, but because I want to. I also sometimes want to tear it all down and forget any of it ever happened.

No, this isn’t holding two contradictory thoughts at once. It isn’t doublethink. It’s the reality of dealing with burnout. Working hard on something, anything, that you enjoy will still lead to periods of tiredness, discouragement and an unwillingness to continue. It’s natural, I think. At least, that’s the impression I get.

I am working on my third book, and I was initially surprised that it is much harder to write than the first two. But there’s a reason for this. I’ve been writing about the same characters and setting for a while. Variety helps. After book #3 about the adventures of Hermes, I’ll get away from this series for a while, work on something fresh and different, give my brain a chance to stretch.

Feeling like you can’t put a word to a page isn’t something to dread. Whether it’s burnout, writer’s block, or just exhaustion after a busy day, it happens to all writers. Be kind to yourself. Don’t push yourself to finish if it’s going to result in a sloppy product. And certainly don’t push yourself at the expense of your own health.

Sometimes, we just need to get away from the story for a bit and let the ideas churn in our subconscious. It will still be there when we come back.

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Many thanks for visiting my blog. I post updates on my writing career, I muse over storytelling and fiction, and I reflect on the curious and wonderful things in life.

“Hermes is not having the best time. He walks a fine line, and his duty as messenger of Olympus weighs heavily on him. Being a god in the modern age means living in a world that no longer believes in gods. How much can one deity accomplish when no one respects him anymore? And why do his instincts tell him that he, the son of Zeus, is losing favor with his own family?

Tensions abound. The upstart Young Gods play dangerous games using entire cities as their boards. Formless monsters strike from the nighttime shadows, terrorizing hapless mortals. Agents of rival pantheons scheme to thwart Olympus’ designs. In the thick of it all, Hermes does what he does best: trick, lie, and cheat his way to victory.“