Avoiding Burnout:
Get Your Priorities Straight
by Cheryl Wolverton

Writer's block. Burnout. Those fearful words that are bandied about in whispers when a writer stalls and can't figure out why her characters have stopped talking to her. It hits you at the most inopportune times: when your heroine has just decided to jump off a cliff instead of facing the villain, or your hero finds out that the first cousin of his second step-father's third wife is really his mom or—well you get the idea.

We've all had it at one time or another. Many, however have no idea where burnout comes from, how to cope with it, or how to avoid it. While you might not always be able to avoid it, there are ways to recognize what brings it on and to halt it before it has you wringing your hands in dismay and burning your husband's supper.

Dry Well Syndrome

God made each of us with special gifts. And as writers, we dance to a slightly different tune. Writers are able to tap into deeper emotions, pulling them up from what we think of as a bottomless well, to convey points through our characters. These points are actions that we want to use which will make our readers hurt with the hero or heroine, gasp in fear or cry with joy.

They're not simply words, but emotions pulled from us, hammered onto the page with blood, sweat and sometimes even exhaustion by the end of the day.

So what happens when the well runs dry? And the well does eventually run dry.

You guessed it. Writer's block.

Writer's block is a lesser symptom of burnout. It's where burnout starts. Suddenly, you can't pull out the right words. It might happen once here and then maybe once over here. You push through and great, you figure it out and go on. That's normal for all writers. But when it starts happening more and more, there is a reason behind it, and one you shouldn't ignore.

Writer's block can often be a sign of other problems. Sometimes it's the conflict or characterization in your story. Most of the times, you simply have something wrong. Your character does "x" which would never happen normally, or the conflict isn't believable. Your internal editor is blocking you from continuing because it knows, even if you don't, that you are contriving plot to make things happen.

When experiencing writer's block, check your plot. If conflict or characterization is the problem, then you have found the root of your writer's block. Now, you can go back to writing—and revising.

However, if yours is not a plot issue, then the strain contributing to the block is coming from another area.

Priority Imbalance

Nine times out of ten the problem will lie in your priorities—they are out of whack. And if you don't get those priorities "in whack," you'll eventually experience burnout from forcing yourself to write through the writer's block.

So what are balanced priorities? God, family, and then story.

I used to write six days a week (Sunday was always off) to do what I needed to do to get a book done. However, as I got more and more contracts, having four books at a time, I found that more and more of my time with my family—and God—suffered as I pushed to meet my self-imposed deadlines, as well as the ones I agreed to with the publishers.

I learned one of my most important lessons when I was so miserable I didn't ever want to write another word. I discovered that when priorities aren't right, nothing is "write." No typo there! I purposefully penned "write" not "right"—though both apply. Our priorities must be right, in order for us to effectively write.

Why are priorities so important? As humans, we were created in God's image to serve Him in worship. God came down each day to talk with man in the cool of the evening. Our first and foremost job is to worship God. To fellowship with him, "in the cool of the evening." You think not? Read Having A Mary Heart in a Martha World.

If you aren't spending time with God, then you're not going to have the peace that God offers. You aren't going to be hearing His voice and you aren't going to know if what you are writing is what He wants you writing. That uncertainty, caused by a priority imbalance, is a primary contributor to writer's block and burnout.

A secondary one? Neglect.

In particular, neglecting responsibilities can lead to writer's block, or burnout. Woman, for example, was made to be a helpmate to man. Whether we like it or not, we are to take care of our family. That means we need to make sure our family's needs are being met. If your house is filthy, you never have dinner on the table and dishes are piled up to your eyebrows, you're not going to be able to concentrate on your book. You won't have the peace that you should have received from God during your quiet time with Him. Instead, all you can think about are the dirty dishes.

Think about this: If you're missing your quiet time with God, and also not taking care of your family—which makes for a grouchy family—you're expending vast amounts of energy on the negative side of your life. No wonder when you sit down to write, you can't pull out a word to describe the despicable way the villain has just acted toward the heroine.

But, if you're on a deadline, you don't have a choice, you say. It has to be done. So, you force it, making words appear on the page—whether you like them or not.

Gone is the fresh feel of your character. In its place are the mechanics of characterization, conflict, scenes and sequels. The ABC's of making the story work are there without the joy and zeal that comes with creating the story.

No wonder you have writer's block. And when you write a story under those conditions, it's not surprising that you have burnout!

Inventory Check

If you are experiencing burnout, or writer's block, you need to set your computer aside and take inventory. What is on your plate? Are you spending at least an hour a day, not only reading your Bible, but praying as well? Are you scheduling time with your family? Are you taking time to make sure chores are divided out between family members and not all on your plate? Are you taking time to hug your spouse, play with the kids and just relax with them? If your answer is no to one or more of these questions, you are headed for a major burnout.

But, you can avoid it.

Write down what you aren't doing and what you'd like to do. Then organize them into the most important tasks. And finally, start, one day at a time, changing your schedule to make room for everything else. You'll find when you get your priorities straight, God will take care of the rest.