Tag: burnout

Burnout happens when people who have previously been highly committed to a job lose all interest and motivation. [snip] It mainly strikes highly-committed, passionate, hard working and successful people – and it therefore holds a special fear for those who care passionately about their careers and about the work they do.   When I started this…

In which a bunch of authors & editors are invited to answer the question: How do you deal with creative exhaustion? This series was initially inspired by an article on author Steph Swainston’s willing exit from her two-book deal. Swainston didn’t pinpoint burnout as the reason for leaving her writing ‘day job’, but her answers sounded…

In which a bunch of authors & editors are invited to answer the question: How do you deal with creative exhaustion? Author Rob Hood once told me to aim for just one sentence a day. It’s often achievable even in the most desperate state, & it can lead to much more.   If you’ve got a…

In which a bunch of authors & editors are invited to answer the question: How do you deal with creative exhaustion? Author Chris Lawson explains how his stories are so good (and rare): passion.   Creative exhaustion is my default mode. In recent years the only reliable way I have broken through is to have an…

In which a bunch of authors & editors are invited to answer the question: How do you deal with creative exhaustion? In certain writing circles dedicated to professionalism & achievement, there’s a question we use to test ourselves. The question is ‘What would Garth do?’   When I have tapped out the reservoir that is my…

In which a bunch of authors & editors are invited to answer the question: How do you deal with creative exhaustion? Kaaron Warren is a powerhouse writer. Still, I find her solution to burnout extreme!   I rarely suffer from creative burnout, and I think the reason is because, with a couple of kids, writing time…

In which a bunch of authors & editors are invited to answer the question: How do you deal with creative exhaustion? My first World Fantasy Convention, Hal Duncan stood out as vivacious, charming & well, crazed. Thank god he hasn’t changed. A lot of the time the burnout I get is project-specific, so I’ll just jump…

In which a bunch of authors & editors are invited to answer the question: How do you deal with creative exhaustion? Author Stephen Dedman gave me this exact advice some years back. It helped me then, & it’s making me think now. When I run writers’ workshops, I ask everyone to write a list of their…

In which a bunch of authors & editors are invited to answer the question: How do you deal with creative exhaustion? Author Cat Sparks demonstrates how to access those pieces of yourself that aren’t burned out – because they’re still glowing.   When all else fails, I grab an A4 legal pad and a smooth-flowing pen…

A friend sent a link to this warm & inspiring TEDx talk on creativity by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of EAT PRAY LOVE. It’s a fabulous reminder to honour the creative spirit that ‘possesses’ you: “The tricky bit comes the next morning for the dancer himself when he wakes up and realises that it’s Tuesday at…