You know, at some point in life, everyone experiences a burnout of some kind. Sometimes we get burned out on a favorite food or favorite sport. Sometimes we grow to hate a favorite TV show or just don't want to read. We get burned out on exercise or a hobby or just about anything! Burnout comes and goes, and usually a good rest and a different distraction is just what's needed to bring back the magic.
The same thing holds true for creative professionals, and the real suck is that THIS IS OUR JOB. It's one thing to get burned out by your favorite TV show, and it's another to get burned out and not produce the thing that pays the bills. There are a lot of books and resources out there that deal with creative burnout for authors, but I've never talked about it here with you all.
In 2016, I was dealing with some minor creative burnout after working hard to get the Nogiku Series done and figuring out where I wanted to go with my writing career. Then we got involved in our kitchen remodel and my burnout intensified because my home life was a mess! We were cooking in our basement! Lol. It was nuts. We made it through but I didn't write for 6 months, and it was hard for me to get back on that horse.
Our kitchen during the remodel
Now, I can feel burnout happening again. Writing is a struggle every day, instead of a joy. I am out of creative ideas and out of the will to come up with them. I have just enough juice to get me through to the end of the Flyght Series, and then I NEED A BREAK.
Most of the time, all we need is a break. In many author circles, we call this “refilling the well.” As a creative professional, we dip the bucket in the well of inspiration and creativity over and over, but if we don't fill it back up, the well runs dry.
People, I'm down to the last bit of water in the well.
This summer, I will be taking a break. I will not be writing and my only creating will be here on the blog. Instead, I will be reading! And knitting! And taking photos! And relaxing! I will be refreshing the well so I can come back and write again in the fall.
