Chateau Lloyd

One of the biggest frustrations of an author is burnout.  Unlike writer’s block, there really isn’t any cure for burnout other than taking a break.

It hit me this past weekend with a vengeance.  I was moving along at a good clip, has a clear plot set up in front of me, but finally, I just ground to a halt.

I was tired of writing.

One of the advantages of writing on the side is that I rarely have any kind of deadline to worry about.  My books proceed at their own pace.

I’m sure a large part of the burnout has to do with being busy doing other things – having a day job, family and home to maintain takes up a lot of time and energy.  It’s not unusual to be so worn out as to have nothing left at the end of the day.

I think the most frustrating element of burnout is when you have time to write (as I did) but are simply too mentally exhausted to do so.

That’s the flipside of the usual problem where you’re writing and getting things done but have to quit for some reason.  Very annoying, that.

I’ve found the only effective way to deal with burnout is to take a break – a real break.  I will not only avoid writing or thinking about writing, I will stay away from the computer itself for a few days.  I’ll set a target date to get back to it, and leave it at that.

Hopefully the break will give me renewed energy to move forward.  It usually does.