What does it look like
I can’t recall how many times I was burnt out without realizing! Constantly agonizing over a project starting at it for hours in a vicious cycle of typing and deleting, until inevitably, I would sigh, and let nothing else come of the rest of my day. Defeat and hopelessness are a crippling byproduct of this atrocious insanity.
Its when sometimes you stare into a void where everything visible to you becomes painfully clear while your mind is numbed. There are no thoughts, all sounds forgotten leaving voices unremembered. After leaving moments like these in disarray, it is hard not to question everything. Wondering if this venture is something you are capable of. If this really is what you wanted. That my friends is the Burnout!
It applies to just about anything! From sports to music, to just about everyone! Mind you, that doesn’t mean all these types of people have the same degrees. Like the varying burn degrees you can have, so too is said for burnout! Some people may be capable of going continuously for ages while others can develop the extreme ( like I did above lol) in a shorter time. Either way you swing on the pendulum, it doesn’t determine your capabilities in your craft, it just guides you to what methods could be the most efficient for you. How long can you focus on something, how often can you focus on something, do you need prep and which order is easiest/quicker? Are you more detail oriented, what’s the least overwhelming? These are the questions you need to think about in order to practice alternatives to avoid burnout.
For me, I will write for 30 mins and break for 10 for a couple hours at a time. I’m the type of writer who isn’t really able to ‘barf’ on the page. Most of the time I’m really thinking about each word choice as I go, so yeah it’s less but I typically do less revisions also. With that being said, music and emotion is my motivator, what propels me in each piece. So, when I’m going to make changes in tempo, I take that break to physically transform my attitude to make it more authentic. Personifying my characters stepping into their shoes to determine what they would say, how they would say it, and what it means.
It may seem long, slow and possibly tedious, lol, but that’s what I value, those are my principles. In every art piece, it shows. What’s important about your craft, what do you most treasure about it? Keep that in mind while evaluating your practice routine.
Now, what to do on your breaks to energize that creativity you seek? There are a myriad of activities you can do!
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- Writing in perspective of other characters
- Writing dice/cards
- Music
- Being out in nature/meditation – clearing your mind
- Exercise/ Dancing
- Enacting your book! – imaging vs. doing can give very different ideas
- Movies – always gives me different ideas of ways to express emotion, dialogue and even some plot ideas
- Remember you can get inspiration/ ideas anywhere, but never copy and paste! Make it your own for authenticity and not to mention plagiarism!
Perspectives are key! This is my secret sauce to an amazing writing session