Guide to Staying Inspired as a Fiction Writer
As a fiction writer, the pressure to come up with a compelling narrative will always be there. That is why having inspiration firing throughout the process is a must. But how will this be possible? Even the world’s best artist or writer can feel creatively burned out along the way. And, when this happens, you will feel as though there aren’t many good ideas coming out of your head. The overwhelming feeling combined with stress and exhaustion is not something to look forward to.
Writing can be a demanding task alone, but it can go beyond that. Writer’s burnout is characterized by extreme tiredness and emptiness, which is not a pleasant feeling at all. Even if you are the most passionate writer, your enthusiasm will surely go down when burnout aggravates. A point will come when you start to doubt your own capabilities. Hence, you should never let it worsen or add up—you should do something about it.
Because of the pandemic, many people are affected mentally and emotionally. This proves that the number of people needing help to mitigate burnout is increasing— writers are no exception. Below are the ways to stay creatively inspired as a fiction writer:
Go Back to the Reasons Why You Started Writing
Every author has a story to tell behind their books, and this story always contains a good amount of motivation and inspiration. There is an excellent possibility that the reason why you are burned out is that you’ve lost that fire of spur and drive. So make sure to go back to your story, where you can find that very reason why you started writing in the first place. From there, you can get back on your feet in no time.
Touch on Your Interests
As a fiction writer, you may have your own reason for becoming one, but it never fails to touch on your interests. For example, science fiction novels are always driven by a writer’s fascination with science or the future. So, when you are writing science fiction, you can find your way back to your fascination with science. If it helps, you can also read literary works on science fiction to bring back the feeling of wanting to write one. Alluding to sci-fi, make sure that you get Scott Harral’s book, Moon Luck. Harral’s glimpse into the near future as we inhabit the Moon is a story that can surely give you the motivation to write your own. You can also learn some useful techniques in fiction writing as you read it.
Accept and Go Through It
Accepting that you are in that situation is the first thing that can help you mitigate it. Think of it as a valuable experience. In fact, you can always benefit from experiences—whether good or bad. Instead of feeling upset that you are experiencing it, be challenged. You can’t shy away from it. Because at the end of the day, you can learn lessons by going through it. It even adds up to who you become in the future, making you more robust than ever. To help you feel better, everybody with creative minds experiences burnout, just like you do.
Don’t Rush the Process
One trick that can help you not feel overwhelmed by the work is not to oversee things. Because when you do, you will end up feeling exhausted as you count the workload you have. Creating a list of long-term and short-term goals is what you can do to motivate you even more. Give time to take one goal at a time and not rush everything. Otherwise, choose to have a healthy relationship with the creativity that you have.
A Breather Will Be a Great Idea
You can’t be too hard on yourself by giving yourself some strict deadlines. If the only thing that keeps you working is just to finish something, your sense of passion will be gone. You can’t lose your passion as it is the element that pushes you through. If you feel like you need a slight pause, go ahead and take it. Take things in by meditating or going on a nature adventure. Refreshing the inner you will get you back on track.