May 2022 - Writing and Burning Out

It's June now, so I figure it's good time to go back and review how May 2022 went for me, because - as seems to be always the case - a lot has changed both writing-wise and in other aspects of my life. 

According to my Boosted app, which I've been using to track my productivity in a range of different projects of late, I worked a total of 52 hours and 25 minutes during the month of May. Most of that (31 hours) were spent working on my gothic horror novel, which I've been having a blast with! I also worked on the third season of my podcast for 9 hours (and promptly put it on hiatus again due to technical difficulties that drove me to the edge of frustration). 

After that, things get a bit scattered. A few hours were spent on workbooks and worksheets, a few on a business idea I've been working, a couple on An Entity in Your Midst (my horror WIP), an hour on Marie/Elise (psychological thriller/mystery WIP), an hour on a course I've been making, and about a half-hour on my fantasy series and second edition of the 101 Writing Prompts digital journal. 

Keep in mind that all of the above took place over the first 21 days of May. (I stopped working on all of the projects for a period of two weeks as other things in my life took priority.)

Averaging about 2.5 hours per day isn't all that bad, to be fair. Especially when you're burned out and can't seem to want to do anything at all - which was the case for me. In fact, I'm beginning to suspect that I've been battling burnout since back in February, when I decided to take some time off, and that perhaps returning in March wasn't the good idea I thought it was at the time.

It's also not so bad when you factor in everything else that was happening in my ever-changing life and that I do not track with my Boosted app. For example, I took a language certification exam at the end of May, and spent many days studying for that almost non-stop. I have other upcoming exams that I have been preparing for, so that's been taking up a chunk of my time. And there's a lot more.

It has been a busy month.

All the while, I've felt a bit burned out and generally tired. I've stepped away from social media. I've even scaled back my writing for the time being, given all of the other things happening in my life that need to realistically take priority at this point in time. So, I'm not dedicating as much time to my writing as I normally do. I didn't start writing again until June 4 - just three days ago! (And, to be honest, it's less writing and more worldbuilding - but it's all part of the process.)

Where does that leave my plans for May-July 2022? 

If you remember from my last writing update, I was working on a new project that I was quite tight-lipped about. It's a gothic horror slash historical fiction, and it's awesome. I just need to - you know - write it. And trust me, I am doing my best! I had hoped, when first I started working on it, that I could finish the book by end of June. Well, here we are in June now, and I can say with certainty that that's probably not going to happen. 

So, given how burnt out I am and how I've got too much on my plate at the moment, I've decided to scale back my writing and just enjoy the ride rather than stress out about when I'll finish X novel or Y short story. Instead, I'm focusing on doing things that I enjoy when I finally do get a chance to sit down and write.

For example, I spent the past couple of days making a map of Qarra for my fantasy series, figuring out trade routes, and deciding on the economic situations of each of my kingdoms and empires. I hope one day soon I can share that map and information with you! But for now, it's still a bit of a work in progress, and I'm sure I'll want to change a few details here and there before finalizing it. 

Where's my podcast at? Well, I said Season 3 would come out mid-May, but I've had some frustrating technical difficulties that I've spent many hours trying to fix. I've recorded and re-recorded and re-re-recorded every single episode that I've planned out for the first few months of Season 3 so many times that I've gotten a bit fed up. So I'm taking a break. And, suffice it to say, I think I'm going to be going back to the same setup I had before I tried upgrading my material! At least, until I figure out what the issue is with the new equipment. 

In the meantime, let me know if you have any episode topic requests! If it's something I can speak about, I'll do my best to make a good episode about it.

What do you do to overcome burnout?

~⭐~

Grab the 2022 Reflection & Productivity Journal here for $2.00! Try out a full-month sample free here!

Check out my psychological thriller Apartment. Add it to your TBR on Goodreads!

Read my solarpunk mystery WIP Murder in Heliopolis on Royal Road, Inkitt, or Tapas. (Binge on RR!)

Looking for a writing prompt workbook? Check out 101 Writing Prompts.