4 Tips to Deal with Writer's Burnout

If you participated in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) then you might be feeling a little burnt out. You’re tired of writing or you’re feeling uninspired or you’re just looking for the motivation again. Writing isn’t supposed to cause stress, and if it is, it might be time to take a step back to reevaluate things a bit. Here are my top four tips to deal with writer’s burnout.

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Mandi Lynn
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Willington, CT 06279

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[MandiLynnWrites]

How do you get past writer’s burnout? Let me know in the comments below!

[PBRatLord]

Way late here, but I get a lot of motivation from reading my completed stuff or revisiting old projects. Sometimes I can follow a train of thought from back then and extrapolate out a better way to say something. I can get lost for hours revisiting and modifying old projects or creating new stories of characters I particularly enjoyed writing about too

[nolakatemusic]

I really needed this, especially today. I finished my novel in November and I'm really stressed out about the editing and publishing process. I feel like I'll never have another novel idea, EVER. My month long "break" has just turned into doubting myself and deciding at least once a day that everything I wrote is trash and it will never be publishable.

Thank you for addressing this... Writers need to know that we ALL go through this... You aren't the only one saying, "maybe I'm not actually a writer." Thank you so much for that reminder.

Keep it up. Use the tips on this video and push through. <3

[CloudKitten]

Writer burnout is the WORST. I know the feels. Great video!! I needed this. Funny enough my writer burnout has stemmed from a weird twist of number 3 where I've been hustling on the business side and not taking time to write lol

[blazinsaddles]

I’ve written 40 pages in the past week and a half. It just came out of nowhere and physically, I wanna write but mentally, I’m fried. I’m so close to being done with my novel so it’s really, really, REALLY frustrating.

Writing is my greatest pain and pleasure.

[DemonTom]

Thanks for this video. After writing 15, 000 words and publishing two short stories on Amazon, today I woke up feeling like i needed a break. I wasn't sure if it meant I was falling out of love with writing, but your video really helped put things in perspective. You're a cheerful ray of sunshine. Thank you!!

[JLWillow]

Stepping away from my novel always helps with burnout. It can be difficult, especially if I'm facing deadlines, but distancing myself from my work almost always leads to a more successful work ethic when I return.

[BookLaunchers]

This is such a good topic. Getting out into nature can make a huge difference in the short run ... but if you push hard for a long period of time and are truly exhausted and hating writing right now, it might be time to shelve your book and work on building your author platform for a few weeks while you allow your brain and heart time to get excited about your book / writing again.

[RavenStudiosTM]

This was really helpful for me. I've written so much this week that I actually lost track of how many words I've written. I've let personal things go that shouldn't have had an impact on me. Thank you for the advice, it's helped me reevaluate and come full circle.

[alisonf.haring]

Nice tips Mandi! When I feel burnt out, I also get outside to walk and go on a hike, it helps so much to keep a clear mind :)

[anthonynebel]

Great tips! It's again December and I've learned my last lesson from burning out from writing too much a couple months ago. Walking and power naps are my go-to to recover my body!

[Elentarien]

Thank you. I've DEFINITELY been suffering burnout since LAST YEAR's Nano. -.- Long time, I know. (Though to be fair, I have a lot of 'other' stuff in my life that is causing a super high-stress life, which probably doesn't help. And no, I know that's not good for me either. But I'm not sure how I can change it since other people are involved. :P) What I've had to do is acknowledge that I pushed myself too hard and allow myself that 'space' to rest. I do a bit of writing if I feel up to it - or feel something creative stirring - and if I haven't. . .I've just left it and gone to do other things, as you said. I knit, crochet, cross stitch, embroider - I sometimes play with graphics on the computer (although that's been tough too the last few years), I also have to take my dog for daily walks for her - and added benefit it's healthy for me. lol Sometimes I'll just sit and read - or even watch tv. Which puts that creative INput in without stressing me (much). It's been a long year - but slowly - slowly things are starting to come back and the creativity is starting to flow again and I'm starting to be able to write a little more without feeling so horrible about it.

I do think that giving yourself some 'space' helps. Not so far as to say "I'm done" and never trying - or letting it slide out of your life. . .but not pressuring yourself about it. Sit down, see if you can do some writing. If you can't. . .ok. Move on to other things and try again tomorrow - or in a few days.

I definitely find the more you FIGHT the burnout - the worse it gets.

[imit]

Great tips, Mandi. Usually, I distance a little myself from the project and do something that relaxes me. Have a blessed day!

[bytheBrooke]

I did have a mini burnout after nano was done. Gotta get back into the game though! I hear my book calling my name!

[jacquelinehutchinson-farre]

This is great! Thanks. I don't write YA, I write litfic. I think litfic has another trap, which is the need to constantly grapple with weird and likely unsavory subjects. You can wind up spending much of your day in a very odd headspace, and I think it leads to burnout as well. I had the opportunity to write full time because I lost my job... and even though I had the time, I found that trying to do it drove me crazy! There was so much pressure to perform once I was starting to need to squeeze a paycheck out of it. I was honestly more productive when I was full-time in school and squeezing writing sessions in around a full life.

[KatharineFrancis]

Agree but you can love to write and still want all the best things. I love writing but I also want to get the best opportunities I can get.