Daunting Tasks & Encouraging Words
What some other writers are saying about burnout and more.
I usually send this out on Wednesdays and I know today is ONLY TUESDAY, but it’s done and I need a dose of immediate gratification in the midst of a bunch of large-scope work. New podcast episode next week!
I’ve been deep in revision of my next novel, and it’s been a challenge. Often revision is a lot of rewriting, which isn’t too bad because you’ve got all this stuff on the page already to keep you company. Other times it’s really more re-visioning, when you need to see the arc of the story in an entirely new way and do a lot of new writing.
That’s the case with this book. I’m writing an entire first act that wasn’t there before to put in front of what I had as my first draft. It didn’t hit me until I explained what I was doing to my husband the other day and I realized, well, no wonder I’m going so slow and procrastinating so much. I don’t have a previous version of this part of the book to hold my hand.
This past weekend, I finally reached a point where I felt confident to give my editor a date on which I’ll (probably) have the whole thing done. This will be my twelfth book. I’m tired!
I know I’m not alone in that feeling of industry fatigue and being daunted by the work. Here are some voices of other writers that have recently helped me feel seen, in big and little ways:
Ijeoma Olua answers the question “Is it okay if writing is just a hobby?”
Jamie Attenberg talks about how to start writing again.
Melissa Febos on “banishing the imagined bad faith reader”
Last but not least, Natasha Oladokun (who I once roomed with at a conference and who makes a good pot of coffee) offers a much-needed word on writing (or not) in seasons of total depletion. Really, if you only read one of these links, make it this one.
When and if it feels possible, I immerse myself in the voices and stories and sights that shaped my inner self, long before I ever dreamed of becoming a writer like Jo March, or Anne Shirley, or any of the other sapphic heroes I came to model my life after. But if I’m not careful, I still find myself regarding these small practices as stepstones towards making a product—that even pleasure should be in service of something evident from the outside.
🎧 Good news! The This Creative Life audiobook is now on all the platforms, including Apple and Audible. All the links: Apple || Audible || Libro.fm || NOOK Audiobooks || Google Play || Kobo/Walmart || Audiobooks.com
🤑 The ebook is still on sale for $3.99! This price is good through the end of September. All the links: Apple Books | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Google Play
📅 Next week, Malinda Lo will make a return to the podcast to talk about the huge success of Last Night at the Telegraph Club, and to celebrate the 10/4 release of A Scatter of Light. In anticipation, I released our 2015 conversation from the archives and you should be able to find it in the TCL feed wherever you listen to podcasts! Or listen right here.
This Creative Life is a book, a newsletter, and a podcast from me, Sara Zarr, about reading between the lines of a writing life. The newsletter and podcast are free; buying the book helps support them and me. Sharing the newsletter is a great help, too!
