Writers Fatigue & The Cure

Writer's Fatigue

It is the demonic shadow of the dreaded phenomena that plagues all of us word-smitten creative types.  I'm talking about writer's block and it's nagging companion, fatigue.  Fatigue is a lot like writer's block, and if it's left unmanaged may create the perfect door for writer's block to step right through.  Just like a holy man preparing himself for epic combat with malevolent spirits, we as courageous writers must take precautions to keep the demon at bay.  By the way, I'm totally thinking of John Constantine while I write this.  Gimme some Enochian symbols and I'll brand them (not really) on my forearms (back satan!).
So, what is writer's fatigue?  Basically, it's the same thing as burnout.  You've invested so much time and energy in writing this project.  Your heart and soul have been ground up and mashed into the essence of every laboriously chosen word.  But you've given too much too quick.  Next thing you know, you're not so excited about getting up early in the morning and sitting at that desk.  You try because hey, you know it's not going to be fun all the time.  You've even read elsewhere that it's going to fill a lot like work.  But beware!  Sometimes the right thing might be to brutally master your mind and body, push right through and get that word count in.  And maybe not.

"Why maybe not?" you ask.  Another great question.  Jeez, you guys are really on point.  Maybe, just maybe you'll start to produce less than that high quality work that you know you're capable of.  Perhaps you inner eye begins to haze, and suddenly the clarity of direction is muddied by the work of it all.  Does that sound about right?  If so, you're in the choppy waters of writer's fatigue.  Beware!  There, just beyond the dark clouds is a place of emptiness (the "nothing" from The Never Ending Story has been there), lukewarm waters and (whispered in echoes) writer's block.  God forbid you get to that place.  You've gotta go through hell to get back where you want to be.  And you want those words to flow like milk and honey.

The Cure

Ah, but in my vast amounts of timeless wisdom, gathered and harnessed by the incredible rabbi called "experience", I have learned of a remedy.  Not like the pricey snake oil stuff that Crazy Eddie sales with ol' One Eye's moonshine (what a name for a moonshiner, right?), but the real deal.  So here we go.  I think this next bit of wisdom is so epic it deserves it's own line.

The cure to writer's fatigue is to write more stuff ... just different ... stuff.

Yup, that's it.  The trick is to write something other than the large project you're working on.  Take a break from that novel, but not too long.  You still want to make progress on that thing, so I wouldn't suggest abandoning it for more than a day (if that).  I chose to do a blog which was similarly related to my novel (subterfuge!), and to help edit fellow writers and their monstrous projects.

 I had a professor in college that gave me a bit of advice when it came to studying and writing theological papers.  He told me that your brain needs a break from doing the same thing over and over again, and it helps for the old noggin to reboot if it's located in a different space.

This means that it is good for you head to change gears for a while, and sometimes you need to get up and get out of your local writing haunt to help it out.  Let me simplify:

Change your mental location, and you physical location.

Keep writing everyday.  Write something, they say (I don't know who they are, but they say a lot of things).  Keep your craft like you would keep a hunting knife; sharp and prepared for the work at hand.  Once you've done a little work on another project, perhaps one less meaningful, you need to refocus on your first love.  You'll be surprised at how rejuvenated you feel.  It's like getting a breath of fresh air after being stuck inside a smouldering, ventless attic for hours.  Try it out the next time you feel a little less enthusiastic about your novel (don't go to a stuffy attic, though.  You could die.  I don't want this blog to be the reason for death).

How about you?  Have you had a time when you feel like you're just too burnt out to write anything good?  How did you fix it (did you fix it)?  Do you have any secret chunks of wisdom for us to learn from?  Let us know in the comments below.

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2 Things That will Improve Your Writing

Writing does not happen in a vacuum...don't get me wrong, though.  It's our world.  We do what we want in it.  No one can tell us anything different.  How would the literary genre grow if we didn't? (hint:  it wouldn't).  Some more conservative writers may call it bad practice, or poor quality(nay sayers!).  Being a pioneer in writing is a matter of perspective; to some you may be a genius, and to others...your work may not be worthy to grace their hindquarters (butts...I'm talking about butts).  What was I saying? Oh yeah, the vacuum thing:  it takes some outside forces to help mold and shape our abilities into that superhuman thing you've been wanting ever since you became serious about the pen.

Either way, there are 2 things that can really help elevate your writing experience.  They will help shape you into the writer that you want to be, and enlighten your mind so that you may discover the more intricate complexities of narrative formation.  A good writer (that's you) wants all the help they can get, and must never, ever back down from the seemingly overwhelming forces of evil (Sauron) that keeps us from moving on.  Remember:  we can always become better, but it will require hard work, sacrifice, and relationships.  What's that?  Why relationships?  Chill out, I'm getting there.

1.  Read & Take Notes

Reading is obviously part of being a writer (at least it should be).  I couldn't imagine a world where a
writer never read other narratives.  Writer's write, after all, and readers read.  But a writer always reads.  I am willing to wager that you probably became inspired to be a writer because you read someone's work and thought, "man!  I wanna do that!  I wanna tell a story like that one day!"

 The next thing you know, you've sat down in front of your computer, and started working away on that thing.  Of course, you trash the whole project two months later because you realize that it's tit for tat the plot of Lord of the Rings, or 28 Days Later (dark lords to zombies...someone should do it).  I became super inspired after watching Lord of the Rings as a child, sat down to Windows 95, and started pumping out pages.  I was a kid, so that was cool for me.  But as a mature writer (with age comes wisdom...I hope), I understand the necessity of reading for the purpose of writing.

There's the difference.  You have probably read a book for entertainment purposes, but have you picked up a few best sellers in your genre to see what makes them sell so well?  (Also, let's be honest. You're writing to sell your work so that people will read it...and so you can get money).  Look at the mechanics of how they write.  Look at their usage of punctuation, plot development, narrative structure, character usage, the tone of the story...I mean there are literally  thousands of things you can look for that can give you a boost in your writing.

Joe Abercrombie is one of those authors whose books I have picked apart mercilessly.  I love his stories, and the voice he was able to produce in his writing (The Bloody Nine...check him out).  I didn't know the first thing about writing a book (other than it would be epic), and realized that I had shelves full of professionals who could teach me the art of the craft.  Sit back with a few books and pay attention.  Take notes on things that you like, elements that work well, and those that just don't seem to fit.  You will be amazed at how much you will learn from the first five pages.

2.  Be In Relationship With Other Writers

This one might be a little tricky.  I doubt you have a ready-made pub full of writers like Tolkien and Lewis did to help them bounce ideas back and forth (but you might...if you do, I am envious).  But there are other ways to do this, thanks to the magical realm of the interwebs. Forums, groups, databases...a whole slew of sites that offer the kind of relationship you need to make things happen.

For instance, one such place is called My Writer's Circle.  This place is great.  Here, you will get all the encouragement you will ever need.  I recently joined the site (send me a PM if you join after reading this "CodyWright77"), and have found tons of ways improve my writing.  The benefits are innumerable, and I'm not going to get into them right now; I'll just mention the big one.

Critiquing.  You need someone other than Mom (God love her) to look at your work.  Family is great, but you need people who don't  know you from some other Joe.  Be warned:  those people are not there to kiss your butt and make you feel good about yourself.  They will look at your work and be honest...terribly, unashamedly honest.  Which is really a good thing.  Just be ready to take some hard blows.  But they are blows of love (butterflies, sunshine & rainbows)!  And they will teach you what a reader wants when they open your story (first lines are SO important).

Let's recap:  Writing is hard, and you can't do it all alone.  You need to look to people that have done what you want to do to get help (read books, take notes).  You should also think about letting total strangers on the internet look over it, too.  People that, truly, are kindred spirits to yourself.  This will help drive your story to the high places, unleashing your potentiality, and helping you get where you want to be.  Find those relationships, cultivate and reciprocate, and see what happens.

Have you already joined an online community of  other writers, or do you have a few buddies that get together every now and again to discuss your work with?  How about a novel you've read as both entertainment and research?  Tell us about it in the comments below.

If you found this information helpful, please share it on your social media go-to!  Others may find it useful also...but (darkness, thunder and lightening) how are they to find it unless you share!

20 Things Involved in the Writing Process

This is a very serious, very important list of things that will help you and your writing process, because we all know that if you want to really make a buck from your writing, you've gotta treat it like a 9-5.    Please, take this very seriously.  It is serious.  Grave, even.  Writing is serious….seriously (tongue-in-cheek).

1.    Make a list

2.    Make sure things are in order of importance

3.    Watch Dora the Explorer,  because that’s what the kids are watching

4.    Get some paper, and a pencil

5.    Decide paper and a pencil are too antiquated

6.    Get out your laptop

7.    Install updates

8.    Look through Flipboard on your phone while you wait

9.    Play Shadow of Mordor because you forgot what you’re doing

10.  Install PSN updates

11.  Look through Flipboard again, only this time get inspired by an article you read

12.  Open Focus Writer

13.  Stare at a blank screen

14.  Become overwhelmed by “the process”

15.  Decide that today should be a “research” day

16.  Surf Facebook

17.  LOL at cat videos

18.  Do fifteen minutes of actual research

19.  Feel proud of yourself for accomplishing so much

20.  Reward yourself with ice cream, a movie, and a night of video-gameage!  

Some days you’re not going to get anything done.  Don’t beat yourself up over it!  It’s okay, because writing is a process.  Sometimes things will be easy, and sometimes things will be hard.  Some days it will be like nothing you ever seen before, or will again!  (Meatloaf song, anyone?).  So take it easy, relax, and take the small victories.  Your tortured genius will flow eventually.

So how about you?  What does a typical day of procrastination, small rewards, and victory dances look like for you?  Remember to like and share, blah-blah-blah.