Do you have any advice for people who tried so hard to keep writing that they broke their writing brain and now the thought of beginning a new work or even looking at old work just fills them with dread? I tried for months to fix a story I thought I might finally be able to write more than a few chapters before getting permanently stuck, like everything else I’ve ever written. I loved it. I was so excited. And now I can’t write anything at all. I just freeze up. Has this happened to you?
My friend, you are suffering from burnout. This happens to everyone, and it can happen about anything. This isn’t writer’s block, where you can’t think of anything new. This is your brain telling you that it’s built up so many barriers toward something you’ve stressed over that it can’t just tear them down again right away. You need a break.
Don’t write. Seriously, take a break. Think of your writing brain as having a sprain. It needs some rest, and so do you. How long of a break depends on how you feel, but I can’t stress this enough, don’t go back to work on it too soon. If you need to write in some way, find another output for it. I’m on the tale end of my own burnout, and instead of revising, I’ve been writing fanfiction. (Don’t tell my agent.*)
Consume other media. Read books. Watch movies. Get into a fictional podcast. Do something that still tickles your story-telling side without it feeling like work. You will feel better, and your brain will feel better about getting back to telling your own stories.
Do other hobbies. Paint, knit, get into mask making. Do something with your hands, pick up hiking. Stream some video games. You need that rest, and you need time to let your mind wander.
This generation (and the next) faces enormous pressure to turn whatever hobby they have into something with a profitable, marketable outcome - but creativity doesn’t work on demand, and capitalism is lying about your self-worth being tied to your output. You need a break. Don’t feel bad about taking it.
(*My agent already knows, alas.)
