How to Recover From Writing Burnout
Photo by Martin Castro on Unsplash
Note: Today’s article is an excerpt from my book “Build Your Best Writing Life”.
Inside every writer sits a creative well. Whenever you sit down to write, you dip your bucket into this well, drawing the energy you need to attend the work at hand.
The energy in your creative well is a renewable resource, but the rate at which it renews depends on many factors. When surrounded by sources of inspiration, your well overflows, leading you to create at a frenzied pace. But when life becomes stressful, your creative well fills more slowly, with much of its energy diverted to other priorities. On most days, however, a writer’s creative well renews at a rate somewhere between the two extremes.
Draw one small bucket or two each time you sit down to write, and your well will refill steadily enough to allow you to sustain your writing practice. But if you draw too deeply and too often from your well, you can use up all the energy you’ve been storing. This state is often called writing burnout, a complete creative exhaustion that leaves you too weary to do what you love.
You might experience this when working to meet a deadline, striving to maintain your writing routine during a difficult period of life, or chasing a self-imposed goal or standard. This additional stress quickly drains you of your creative energy until your well runs dry.
Waiting around for your creative well to refill can be frustrating. Fortunately, you can take certain steps to mindfully accelerate this process—and better yet, to honor periods of low energy so you can prevent writing burnout in the first place. The next time you sit down to write, check in with yourself.
How full is your creative well? The signs are often obvious. If you’re full of inspiration, your well might be overflowing with a flood of new ideas. Get to work, then, and bear in mind that inspiration often recedes as quickly as it arrives.
If you’re not feeling overly inspired but are ready to work nonetheless, you’ve likely built a sustainable writing practice in which you draw from your creative well with care. Well done! But what if you simply don’t want to write?
This could be a sign that your creative well is running low. Determining what to do next, however, can be tricky.
Resistance loves to disempower you by zapping your creative energy before you pick up the pen. It does this by preying upon your doubts and fears, convincing you that you aren’t good enough to do the work you’ve been meaning to do.
In this case, taking a break to refill your creative well isn’t the answer. You have the energy to write. Resistance has simply stopped up your well to convince you otherwise. To tap into your hidden creative energy, you’ll need to dig deep into your limiting beliefs and take action to overcome your fear. Often, this means putting in the damn hard work that is writing.
But if you’ve been drawing too much from your creative energy over a short period of time, chances are you’re experiencing a legitimate case of writing burnout. Your well is dry. You have little to give to your stories. It’s time to refill.
How to Refill Your Creative Well
When you write, you expend creative energy. Therefore, the easiest way to refill your well is to consume more of this energy. What have others created that you can enjoy or digest? Any form of creation counts, such as films, music, poetry, or art.
As a writer, your most obvious source of creative consumption is reading. You come to know your craft most intimately when you consume the works of other writers. Therefore, one of the primary ways you become a better writer is by reading. This is something I’ll explain further in part 3 of this book.
But weren’t you a reader before you became a writer? Didn’t the stories you’ve consumed inspire you to write stories of your own? If you aren’t already making time to read, I encourage you to do so. It’s by far one of the best ways to refill your creative well. That said, don’t discount the power in consuming other kinds of creativity. Any form of art or innovation counts.
If someone has created it, it has the power to recreate you.
Activity: Source Water for the Well
List the ways in which you can consume creative energy. Be as specific as possible. Is there a book you’ve been itching to read? A television show you’d love to binge? A local art museum you’ve wanted to visit?
Consider how to make time to enjoy some of these sources of inspiration on a regular basis or as a special occasion. Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way, calls the latter activity an “artist’s date” and recommends taking yourself on such a date once a week.
Consuming the work of others is a fantastic way to revive your creative energy, but it’s not the only approach you can take. Here are a few other methods you can try:
Mind Your Priorities
Writing will always drain you if you’re using it as a way to procrastinate in other important areas of life. Take time to review the list of priorities you created in chapter 7. Which ones do you need to attend now so you can write with a clear head and conscience?
Meditate on Your Mindset
Honing a healthy creative mindset is a project in and of itself. Are you facing new challenges in your writing life that might wear you down over time? What weak points in your mindset might resistance try to exploit? Continue to address these issues so you can reclaim the energy resistance is draining from your well.
Go Outside
Research shows that spending time in nature has a restorative effect on your physical and mental well-being. To refill your creative well, consider taking a long walk in the countryside, going on a day hike, or spending time at the beach. You can even garden or sunbathe to gain this same restorative effect.
If you live in an urban area, what local parks or zoos do you have access to? Or can you escape the city for a day? No matter your preferred activity, getting outside can provide fresh inspiration and respite from creative overload.
Get Involved in the Writing Community
Writing is often solitary work. It’s easy to think you’re alone in the struggles that drain your creative energy. But by interacting with other writers, you’ll find creative kinship in sharing your common challenges, discovering new solutions to old problems, and stirring up a healthy dose of inspiration to refill your well.
Engage in Other Creative Activities
Do you enjoy drawing, painting, or creating other visual art? Do you sing or play musical instruments? Are you a cook, baker, or dancer? Even if you don’t have the energy to write, taking up activities that involve a different brand of creativity can stimulate your brain and recharge you for your next writing session.
Make Room for a Little R&R
Whether it’s for a month, a week, or even an evening, taking a break from your writing might make you feel as though you’re failing to maintain your writing practice. But you can’t create your best work if you don’t have energy to give. Watching a movie marathon, lounging by the pool, taking a nap, and getting coffee with a friend are fantastic ways to renew yourself when you burn out—no guilt or shame necessary.
How to Recuperate from Writing Burnout
Think you might be dealing with a case of writing burnout? Don’t let resistance shame you for overdrawing from your creative well. Instead, take a step back. Set your creative projects aside for a few days (or weeks), and spend time refilling your creative well using some of the tips shared in this chapter.
Recuperating from writing burnout is a surprisingly simple process, but it does take time. Be patient. You’ll know you’re ready to write again when you find yourself eager to return to your stories—or when resistance insists you aren’t ready. Acknowledge that negative self-talk, recognize it for what it is, then tap into your creative well and write.
