Write Every Day AND Take Care of Yourself
In my book WRITE EVERY DAY I talk a lot about the benefits of having a daily writing routine. However, you must also take care of yourself. Writing is an intense activity, and it is important that you don’t overdo it.
Burnout
Recently, there have been reports of self-published authors experiencing burnout. Many of us push ourselves to the limit. Our work is demanding, especially if we are ambitious. Creating vivid, engaging, and coherent text isn’t easy. Using our imaginations every day to invent a new world, new characters, and plot lines takes a toll on our whole body.
On top of all the writing, there’s the marketing, the administration of all your previous books, the various appearances, Zoom calls, seminars …. the list goes on.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed.
If you feel tired and grumpy all the time, if writing seems like a chore, and if none of my tips and tricks in WRITE EVERY DAY help, you might be heading toward burnout.
To help you stay healthy, be sure to take breaks from writing and don’t overdo it. Listen to your body, and do only as much as is safe for you.
I’ve learned from experience not to write too many words each day. Naturally, it feels wonderful if you have doubled, or even tripled your word count, but for me at least, it means I am not able to do much the following day. So now I pace myself.
In WRITE EVERY DAY there are also many tips and tricks on how to cure writer’s block (which can also be caused by burnout or lead to it). Take a day, a week, or even a month off and do whatever else you like. If you set a time for how long you will be away from writing, you won’t feel guilty. Writers write about the world and life, so sometimes you need to live it a little too.
Breathing Time
Don’t forget that editing and re-writing time is also ‘writing time’.
For motivation and to keep track of how many words I have written – and need to write to complete a project – I keep a simple spreadsheet listing target words for each day, words written, and a running total. In this spreadsheet, I take into account days that I can’t write if, for example, I’m traveling, have a significant birthday, have visitors from home, or anything that I know will make it hard for me to write that day.
I also do not have any target words for the days when the manuscript is with my first reader, editor, advance readers, or proofreader.
It’s great if you can use this free time to start plotting a new story, or even writing one. I’ve tried to start a new book many times with varying degrees of success. If the next title is in a series, I may write a few scenes, just to make it easier for me to start the book in earnest when the current one is published.
However, I often fail in this task and end up feeling frustrated and disappointed in myself. As a result, I now allow myself some breathing time between projects.
Whatsmore, there are always a lot of marketing tasks for a new book, so I focus on those and begin my daily writing routine again when I start editing (or rewriting) the manuscript according to comments I’ve received from either my readers or editor.
Celebrate
You also have to give yourself time to celebrate your achievements.
When your book is published, it’s time to take a break from writing for a week or two. Enjoy watching the increased sales a new book brings and let your mind rest. If, again, you schedule this free time, you won’t feel guilty about taking time out from writing.
Don’t Forget Your Writing Routine
However, it’s very easy to fall into a no-writing trap at this stage. The sense of achievement after publication is dizzying, but the most important thing you can do now is to start a new project.
Remember that the more you publish the more successful you’ll be.
So it’s as important to get back to your daily writing routine, as it is to take a break. Especially if you have scheduled your break from writing, make sure you get back to it when you planned to do so.
If your mind feels empty, and you really do not know what to write next, examine the reasons you aren’t writing. Often, acknowledging the reasons for your lack of enthusiasm is enough to solve the problem and get you back to your routine. You’ll probably just need a little inspiration.
Writing a Series or Abandoned Projects?
If I’ve been able to take time off after publication, I usually find I have too many ideas for the next book. I have been writing a series, LOVE ON THE ISLAND, for a couple of years now, which makes deciding what to write next a little easier. Often, I don’t have space for all the plot lines in one novel, so they spill into the next one, giving me a ‘free’ start on the story.
You could also have a look at the projects you abandoned before writing the book you have just published. Are you still interested in any of those stories? Could they be made more engaging for you and your readers? This is the time to play around with ideas and have brainstorming sessions. This is the fun part, so don’t rush it.
You’ve written and published a book before, so you can do it again!
Over to You
I hope I’ve given you some ideas on how to write every day AND take care of yourself.
Comment below to let me know how you’re getting along!
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