{"id":7039,"date":"2021-12-27T07:00:18","date_gmt":"2021-12-27T13:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/utopianediting.com\/?p=7039"},"modified":"2022-01-02T06:28:36","modified_gmt":"2022-01-02T12:28:36","slug":"q-how-do-i-overcome-writers-burnout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/utopianediting.com\/index.php\/2021\/12\/27\/q-how-do-i-overcome-writers-burnout\/","title":{"rendered":"Q: How do I overcome writer&#8217;s burnout?"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]\r\n<blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>I&#8217;ve got two book drafts finished (one is a dystopian thriller of 140k words, second is an offbeat horror novella of 27k words) and I&#8217;m feeling exceedingly burnt out looking ahead at the Editing\/ReWriting process. I&#8217;m in a writer&#8217;s group so I have a LOT of notes and general awareness of all of the changes I need to get in and do, but I&#8217;m very hesitant to dig into this post-writing work. What are your strategies for either recharging or for more joyfully embracing this grueling slog of reworking your first drafts?<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/qr.ae\/pGzpts\">https:\/\/qr.ae\/pGzpts<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]\r\n<p class=\"q-text qu-display--block qu-wordBreak--break-word qu-textAlign--start\">First,\u00a0congratulations! You\u2019ve finished not one but two manuscripts! That\u2019s a fantastic achievement.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"q-text qu-display--block qu-wordBreak--break-word qu-textAlign--start\">Since you\u2019re in a writer\u2019s group, I\u2019m sure you know that burnout is absolutely normal. As with writer\u2019s block, what works for one person may not work for another. But here\u2019s some spaghetti to throw at the refrigerator door:<\/p>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_column_text]\r\n<ul class=\"q-box\">\r\n<li class=\"q-relative\"><strong>Walk away from it<\/strong>\u00a0for a while if you can. The longer, the better, though even a week should help.<\/li>\r\n<li class=\"q-relative\"><strong>Engage in other activities<\/strong>\u00a0that are NOT writing and NOT mentally taxing. Hike somewhere pretty, go out with friends and laugh a lot, take care of things around the house that you let slide while you finished writing (you know you did).<\/li>\r\n<li class=\"q-relative\"><strong>Do something else creative<\/strong>\u00a0that doesn\u2019t involve writing. Design family shirts for the next reunion, or go to one of those places where you can BYOB and paint a picture. When I was burned out from writing my master\u2019s thesis, I signed up for voice lessons and learned some French opera.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]\r\n<p class=\"q-text qu-display--block qu-wordBreak--break-word qu-textAlign--start\">When you do sit down to revise, you might try some of the same tricks that can help you with drafting:<\/p>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_column_text]\r\n<ul class=\"q-box\">\r\n<li class=\"q-relative\"><strong>Change your locale.<\/strong>\u00a0If you usually write at your kitchen table, try another place in your home, or at a coffee shop or library, or outdoors somewhere.<\/li>\r\n<li class=\"q-relative\"><strong>Change your workspace.<\/strong>\u00a0If you usually write at a desk, try a recliner or stretched out on the floor. Or if you want to stay put, clean the area thoroughly. Make sure it\u2019s organized and contains a few items that make you happy. Line up your Funko Pop collection beside your monitor. Been meaning to print some family photos for a frame on your desk? Now\u2019s the time to do that.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]\r\n<p class=\"q-text qu-display--block qu-wordBreak--break-word qu-textAlign--start\">It sounds like you already pretty much know what revisions are needed, but just in case you have more to work out:<\/p>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_column_text]\r\n<ul class=\"q-box\">\r\n<li class=\"q-relative\"><strong>Change the medium.<\/strong>\u00a0If you\u2019ve been doing most of your work in Word or Google Docs, try printing chapters and making notes by hand, with multicolored pens and highlighters. Make liberal use of sticky notes.<\/li>\r\n<li class=\"q-relative\"><strong>Zoom out.<\/strong>\u00a0Do you have character arcs and a good outline of your story? If not, this might be a good time to write those out. It\u2019ll help you see whether you have big-picture issues that need tweaking.<\/li>\r\n<li class=\"q-relative\"><strong>Prioritize.<\/strong>\u00a0If you\u2019re feeling overwhelmed by revision and aren\u2019t sure where to start, try making a to-do list. Just go through the notes you have and stick \u2019em in a bulleted list, then see if you can group them by type and prioritize them. It might look something like this:<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_column_text]\r\n<p class=\"q-text qu-display--block qu-wordBreak--break-word qu-textAlign--start\">PLOT CHANGES<\/p>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/3&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]\r\n<ul class=\"q-box\">\r\n<li class=\"q-relative\">Add scene about __________.<\/li>\r\n<li class=\"q-relative\">Revise scene about __________ to add __________.<\/li>\r\n<li class=\"q-relative\">Figure out why ch. ___ through ___ feels clunky.<\/li>\r\n<li class=\"q-relative\">Find a good place to plant foreshadowing for __________.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/3&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_column_text]\r\n<p class=\"q-text qu-display--block qu-wordBreak--break-word qu-textAlign--start\">CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT<\/p>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/3&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]\r\n<ul class=\"q-box\">\r\n<li class=\"q-relative\">Sidekick is static. Figure out a better character arc.<\/li>\r\n<li class=\"q-relative\">Add more background info about __________.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/3&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_column_text]\r\n<p class=\"q-text qu-display--block qu-wordBreak--break-word qu-textAlign--start\">OTHER<\/p>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/3&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]\r\n<ul class=\"q-box\">\r\n<li class=\"q-relative\">[Fellow writer] said the dialogue is too stilted. Revise as needed.<\/li>\r\n<li class=\"q-relative\">Add more setting description for __________ and __________.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/3&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]\r\n<p class=\"q-text qu-display--block qu-wordBreak--break-word qu-textAlign--start\">\u2026.and so on.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"q-text qu-display--block qu-wordBreak--break-word qu-textAlign--start\">I hope something here helps! Best of luck in your revision process.<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><em>Utopian Editing provides editing services from concept through proofreading.\u00a0<\/em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/utopianediting.com\/index.php\/contact-us\/\">Click here to request a free sample edit and quote.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As with writer\u2019s block, what works for one person may not work for another. But here\u2019s some spaghetti to throw at the refrigerator door:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7076,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[177,107,187,182],"tags":[196,199,200,109,140,108,146,147,137,197,132,156,158,157,110,138,131,198],"class_list":["post-7039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-developmental-editing","category-editing","category-publishing","category-writing","tag-burnout","tag-creative-burnout","tag-creativity","tag-developmental-editing","tag-edit","tag-editing","tag-kerri-beauchesne","tag-kerri-beauchesne-miller","tag-kerri-miller","tag-motivation","tag-novel-writing","tag-revise","tag-revising","tag-revision","tag-substantive-editing","tag-utopian-editing","tag-writing","tag-writing-discipline"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/utopianediting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7039","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/utopianediting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/utopianediting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/utopianediting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/utopianediting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7039"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/utopianediting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7039\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7074,"href":"https:\/\/utopianediting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7039\/revisions\/7074"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/utopianediting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/utopianediting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7039"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/utopianediting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7039"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/utopianediting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}