As we are now approaching the month of November, a lot of us in the writing community will begin to hide ourselves away in the pursuit of drafting a 50,000 word novel. I'm talking of course about NaNoWriMo. This time of year can either be exhilarating or terrifying as you take on what is anywhere between your first and your 50th rough draft. This time of the year can be a great jump start to a new project and a wonderful way to network with your peers and gain insight into the methods of others.
Well, there's no easy way to lead into this. Today I feel compelled to write about burnout. Maybe it's because, frankly, I'm a bit burnt out. Hold that NaNo thought for a second, I'll swing back around.
At the beginning of this year, I decided to pick up my current project after having given it a solid rest. For years, I have been saying that I would pursue my writing as a business and this was the year I would make that dream a reality.
Since then, I have elaborated my outline and completed a much more cohesive second draft of which I am extremely proud. In the pursuit of marketing my brand and my writing projects, I started to build my platform and launched a Youtube channel where I would discuss my writing journey and writing advice for other creatives. I expanded this platform to social media and started a daily routine of posting every writing-related whim and fancy.
As I was tackling my side business on three different fronts, my husband of course counseled me not to invest too much of myself. He worried that I was biting off more than I could chew. But I was so in love with my startup that spending hours and hours online didn't feel like work. At least, it didn't at first.
Flash forward to today, when I am biting my nails as I post my first tweet in two days. My dread is that I'll again lose another 4 followers for this one. Lately it seems that every time I tweet anything, someone is compelled to unfollow me. Are my tweets that bad? Are people that judgmental? I'm compelled to think it's actually better for my platform to not post anything at all. But just when I'm about to give up tweeting all together, someone somewhere follows me.
Social media is a fickle thing.
In all the hubbub and all the joy I'd poured into my writing, I hadn't had a clue that I was slowly draining and depleting my bank account. Not my real one -- thank goodness -- I'm referring to my creative bank account. My well of inspiration.
I thought that burnout was an obvious and gradual progression and that if I started to feel it, I would be able to nip it in the bud. But what I discovered is that burnout works like a sprained ankle. Once it happens, you're a bit out of commission for awhile. Once the body (or the brain) makes it very clear that there is a problem, all you can do is rest up and wait patiently for your stamina to return.
Which brings me back to NaNoWriMo. See, I told you I'd come back.
If you're prepping to participate next month, I urge you that in addition to planning out your writing schedule, you also work in a scheduled "me" time. No, not me. You. I mean a scheduled "you" time. You probably got it the first time, didn't you?
It doesn't have to be long or elaborate, just find some time in all that busyness when you can make a deposit to your bank account. It may seem plentiful, like it could never run out, but it's not. And if all you're doing is withdrawing, well, you end up like me now: fear-tweeting.
So think of the things that bring you pure joy, like going to the movies or knitting or scrap booking. Whatever it is, it may seem less important than your writing, but it isn't. The things that spark your creative energy are equally as important as the writing itself because without them, there isn't much writing at all. There isn't much good writing, anyway.
Another tip to avoid burnout during NaNo -- be super specific with yourself about what your own personal goals are.
This one is highly important, because you will see so many writers from all levels of experience posting their progress. If you don't have your blinders on with your own project, it's easy to feel like you're not measuring up. Speaking from experience, comparison is one of the least-satisfying methods to drain the account.
So if you are participating in NaNoWriMo next month, I wish you the very best of luck! Take good care of yourself and just remember that even starting that project is an achievement and you should be proud. As for me, I'm going to be taking some time through the end of this year to replenish my account and hopefully return to social media with a new zeal.
Thank you so, so much for following my blog. I hope all the blog hoppers enjoy a wonderful holiday season. Until next year, happy writing!
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