Many of us “choose” to write because
we feel an inner need to make-up stories, play with words, to let our
imaginations run wild, and to give our voice a forum. We usually decide to write
what we like to read or what we think we can write better than the book we just
read. It’s easy to fall in love with our characters, envision ourselves in the
settings (even if just as an observer), and feel protective of our creations as
we send it out into the world. Although we may have dreams of fame and fortune,
we don’t choose a career as an author because of the financial security or job
benefits.
Writing SHOULD be something we enjoy.
Unfortunately while we hone our craft
and begin writing the novel we always dreamed about, real life intercedes.
There are bills to pay, families to take care of, mundane house-keeping to
interfere with our creative side, and other life responsibilities to monopolize
our time. Maybe we are holding down “other” jobs to support ourselves and we
have to make extra time to get any writing in. Or maybe we consider ourselves
lucky enough to get other writing jobs to earn some real money, but the writing
isn’t creative, there are unreasonable deadlines and very little reward for
finishing the product. Still we push ahead and force the words out and then
feel too spent by the time we turn to our creative writing, the kind we want to
be doing.
The result is Writer Burnout when the
words just won’t come, we are too tired to even think and putting the words on
paper to satisfy an insistent publisher becomes more chore than calling. How
can we avoid and survive burnout?
Prioritize – if you have deadlines or
need to do research, get the things you need to do out of the way so that you
aren’t feeling over-pressured or feel like you failed because you missed a
deadline. Be selective – accepting tedious assignments in order to pay your
mortgage is one thing, but accepting tedious assignments so you can buy
frivolous items you know you really don’t need or want is very different. Be
realistic – an editor calls with an assignment and an unreasonable deadline and
there is no possible way you can get it done, let the editor know you need more
time BEFORE committing to do it, chances are if you (and the editor) are
reasonable you can buy yourself more time. Negotiate – you know the prices you
are being paid on your just-to-pay-the-bills-work are well below the standard
rates, suggest an increase but be reasonable and willing to compromise and you
may be able to lose some of the un-fun work and leave more time for creativity.
If you feel yourself beginning to
drag or you no longer look forward to writing (even your creative work): Take a
break – nourish yourself with words, in other words, read, read, read; Take a
walk, breathe some fresh air, play a few games (Sudoku, word searches,
solitaire…) or watch some TV; Change your environment. Make sure you are
getting enough sleep and don’t forget to eat regularly with healthy foods. Make
time to exercise and stretch. Write something else, even if it is just mindless
free-writing. Staring at a blank computer screen or forcing meaningless words
won’t make you feel accomplished. Change your routine, instead of spending
hours updating your (necessary) promotional social media and then turning to
your writing, try writing FIRST.
Learn to applaud every accomplishment
and don’t worry about writing something that EVERYONE will like, that is
impossible, just write the best you can. Believe in your story, write about the
things you like, and be proud to call yourself a writer.
Writing Exercise: Free
write about something you are passionate about. Set your timer for 15-minutes
and just write, don’t worry about editing or even making sense. Just write
about anything, no matter how random, until the timer goes off.
Writing Prompt: List
the last five things you wrote about, published or not. Now write five things
you would like to write about. How many of these things match?
Challenge Assignment: Using
the characters in your last WIP or published work, (use characters from a book
you read if you don’t have your own), and write them into one of your own
significant childhood memories – use only those fictional characters. Make sure
you keep those characters true to who they are.
