by Teagan Berry

 

A little while ago I finished up the first draft of a manuscript. Since then, I’ve tried (and failed) multiple times to pick up another unfinished first draft of a project that’s been sitting around for the past few months. Needless to say, it hasn’t gone well.

I’ve maybe managed to hash out a few hundred words – and that’s probably being generous. The words just aren’t flowing like they were while I was working on the other manuscript. At first, I thought it was just because I wasn’t quite sure where to go with the new story from where I’ve left off. But it isn’t that, and it’s taken me until now to realize that lack of plot isn’t the problem I have. I have the post-project funk.

In a way, the post-project funk is sort of like a version of writer’s block. The only difference? Instead of having all of these ideas inside your head ready to write only to just not be able to get them written down, you just feel tired and burnt out. There’s a small part of you that knows you need to start working on another project, but you just don’t know how.

And in a way, it makes sense. You’ve just completed a piece of writing. You’ve poured your heart and soul into the thing and given it your all. How are you supposed to just clear everything about that story out of your head and move onto something new?

For some writer’s, the main problem is coming up with another great story idea to write about. For other’s, they have their next project already in their minds, but just don’t know how to start. In my particular case, I have a project to work on (the continuation of a re-write I’ve had on the go for a couple of years), but I just can’t find the will to get the words down onto the page.

I know what I need to do. I need to take a break from writing and let my batteries recharge. November was insanity – I ended up writing over 55,000 words over the course of the month, and then continued that writing high right on into December until I finished the first draft of a manuscript. In the past six weeks or so, I’ve probably written close to 75,000 words. I believe that’s a new high for me, so it’s no wonder why I feel burnt out.

The thing is, I don’t want to take a break. I’ve set some writing goals for 2017 – I want to have two separate manuscript first drafts completed by the time the snow melts. More specifically, I’ve set targets of the end of February for one and the end of April for the other. With these dates set in stone, I don’t want to hesitate a moment and waste any time I could be writing. I know I’m going to need all the time I can get to make these deadlines.

This is a problem I know many writers out there face. Deadlines are a thing – and a very important thing they are. They put the fear in writers everywhere because they force us to have produced something good, even when the words just aren’t flowing right or we just can’t get in the writing mood. Personally, even though my deadlines have only been put in place for me by me, I still want to stick to them. I want to have a rigid structure and timeline I need to stick to or else I know my writing time will disappear into almost nothing. It’s happened before to me and then I went into a dry spell for a couple of months.

For this problem, there really isn’t a solution that involves continuing to write – at least that I’ve managed to find yet. If you have any, please, feel free to share them. For me, the truth is when a writer is burnt out they really do need to take a break. It doesn’t have to be long, but they need a bit of time separate from their work so they can recharge their batteries and get ready for the next battle with their words.

This is the point that I am at and I know that many other writers are at too. So take a day or two – busy yourself with something else. Go watch a couple of movies. Go hang out with some friends. Go out for walks, or go jogging. Do something that isn’t writing. Soon, the words will come back to you. Soon, you’ll be entranced in your new world and new characters. Soon, you will create another masterpiece. And then you’ll just do this all again.

Until next time.

 

 

 

Alternately titled “The Post Project Funk.”

Guest post contributed by Teagan Berry. Teagan writes books, watches sports, and reads. She started her blog initially to beat writer’s block, but it’s turned into so much more.