Aspiring Writers Info: Laura Anne Gilman on Rising From the Ashes

[alfreda89]

Burnout can happen to anyone, no matter how prolific.  But it doesn't have to be the end of the world.  There are ways to rise from the ashes.

For the longest time – years – I never ran out of things to write. There was always an idea fermenting, waiting for its chance. There was always an idea (or two) in progress, fighting for time in the chair. I was writing three books a year, and while I was more than slightly exhausted all the time, the stories kept coming. Long form, short…

And then they all stopped. Nothing. Nada. Dead air.

Laura Anne Gilman explains.

Comments

Appreciated this immensely...

[barb caffrey (from livejournal.com)]

Kat, I'm very happy you posted this. Even though I know that other writers get exhausted, too, and wonder if their words will ever return, it's helpful to see this in print and be reminded.

Writing takes energy. Most of us forget that because it doesn't seem to be physically taxing. But using your brain is taxing -- just in a different way. Even when you want to use your brain and create, because it's who you are, it's _still_ taxing.

That doesn't make wanting to do it bad or wrong, and as Laura Anne says, the fact that you _want_ to do it even when you can't shows right then and there that you still have the ability to do it once you rest. (Or at least that's my extrapolation of what she said. Which may be a bit further than she actually went. But I'm going with it anyway.)

Our society doesn't seem to like rest very much, viewing it as a necessary evil. Maybe that's why many writers -- not just me -- begrudge the need for rest.

But without rest, you can't recharge enough to hear what your mind is telling you.

Anyway, this was a thought-provoking post and I enjoyed it immensely. Thank you for letting me know about it.

Barb

Re: Appreciated this immensely...

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

Glad it was useful.

My Aspiring Writers posts are for writers, too!