Same, same, same. *nods in sage empathy* But also...OMG, can we talk about that Lilah Pace series bc I've never gotten over it, and to this day, it is one of the best series I've ever read! *ahem* Anyway. I have a nagging theory. Have you ever heard the idea that our tastes change every 7 or so years? What if this is all just normal change for us, but the Captalist WheelTM that we're all caught up in demands productivity, productivity, productivity to the point that it simply doesn't allow for the natural course of time to effect its little cogs? Do you think we would have labels like burnout and big bad emotions about those effects if we were allowed to...just take a break when we'd burned ourselves out on something? Put it another way. Do you ever get absolutely obsessed with a song? You'll listen to it over and over and over again until the new shine wears off, then you won't listen to it for a long while. The obsession is over. Then you hear it one day, and you remember how much you loved it. Maybe you don't listen to the same song on repeat ever again, but you find another new similar shiny thing, and it's all just...okay. No bad feelings. No guilt. It is what it is, and you enjoy it to the fullest in the moment and let it go in peace when it's not an ear worm to you anymore. I know, I know. It's not the same since listening to music doesn't pay the bills the way writing does. But what if we could hack our brains into treating those two things similarly? I'm convinced there has to be a way to connect those perfectly natural phenomena in a beneficial way...
I think that's an interesting theory! I know, for me, I have a personality that needs new challenges pretty regularly, so I do think that every seven years thing has some merit. I mean, I've been a social worker/therapist, stay-at-home mom, worked in HR, ran a writing blog, wrote books, taught writers, now coaching writers. I've changed subgenres as a writer and am interested in other genres. So yes, I think if we were allowed to evolve and not required to "stick to the plan", there may be less burnout.
Roni: Your reading habits and topics have mirrored mine very closely over the last 7 or 8 years--down to a very similar list of NF books--and I too was/am in burnout. I seem to have lost my patience for most romances, and other forms of fiction, lately.
Since I'm a #1 Learner, when things aren't working, I look to nonfiction to help me figure it out. I think I knew I was struggling, but didn't recognize it as burnout until very recently. Sorry it hit you too, but it does help to know that I'm not alone, and that I'm not the only one who missed the early warning signs. Or, maybe, ignored them. Have a great holiday!
Gwen, thanks and I'm sorry you're struggling with burnout too. I think it's so easy to miss early signs because we're just laser-focused on the next thing, the next book, the next goal, whatever it is. And especially as #1 Learners we think, well I can fix whatever I need to, I'll just get a book/take a class and learn it. But there's only so much we can put on our plates before it tips over. Thanks for the comment. I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving as well!
Thanks so much for this Roni! On a separate note, take me back to 2012! I read all those titles and miss that era of romance. I love what we've got going now too, but I miss the days when CJ Roberts blew my mind and Carina Press was going off. Sending so much love! xo
yeah, it's weird when the market shifts. I don't get how just everyone decides that no, we're not reading that anymore. I would just like all the kinds of books all the time lol.
Congrats on hitting your goal! I bet reading could act as a barometer at both ends of the spectrum. For some, not reading enough could be a sign of burnout but on the other side, reading too much may be a sign someone's heading to burnout because it could be a writing avoidance tactic. Maybe somewhere in the middle is where we need to be, lol.
Happy Thanksgiving, Roni! I'm sorry the recovery is taking longer than you'd like. The spirit heals on it's own time, and it's slow after it takes a beating.
I just went through a few years of cancer, so I had to really examine this kind of thing. Your year of reading sounds like a marvelous thing!
Hey Jenny, good to hear from you! I'm sorry you've had some tough years to go through. *hugs* And yes, I think as I've gotten older, I'm growing (slightly) more patient with the fact that things are going to take the time they're going to take.
This year has been especially hard. We've had four deaths in the family, plus all that goes with that. It really rocked things just as I thought I was getting back on track. Here's to a better 2025.
Same, same, same. *nods in sage empathy* But also...OMG, can we talk about that Lilah Pace series bc I've never gotten over it, and to this day, it is one of the best series I've ever read! *ahem* Anyway. I have a nagging theory. Have you ever heard the idea that our tastes change every 7 or so years? What if this is all just normal change for us, but the Captalist WheelTM that we're all caught up in demands productivity, productivity, productivity to the point that it simply doesn't allow for the natural course of time to effect its little cogs? Do you think we would have labels like burnout and big bad emotions about those effects if we were allowed to...just take a break when we'd burned ourselves out on something? Put it another way. Do you ever get absolutely obsessed with a song? You'll listen to it over and over and over again until the new shine wears off, then you won't listen to it for a long while. The obsession is over. Then you hear it one day, and you remember how much you loved it. Maybe you don't listen to the same song on repeat ever again, but you find another new similar shiny thing, and it's all just...okay. No bad feelings. No guilt. It is what it is, and you enjoy it to the fullest in the moment and let it go in peace when it's not an ear worm to you anymore. I know, I know. It's not the same since listening to music doesn't pay the bills the way writing does. But what if we could hack our brains into treating those two things similarly? I'm convinced there has to be a way to connect those perfectly natural phenomena in a beneficial way...
I think that's an interesting theory! I know, for me, I have a personality that needs new challenges pretty regularly, so I do think that every seven years thing has some merit. I mean, I've been a social worker/therapist, stay-at-home mom, worked in HR, ran a writing blog, wrote books, taught writers, now coaching writers. I've changed subgenres as a writer and am interested in other genres. So yes, I think if we were allowed to evolve and not required to "stick to the plan", there may be less burnout.
Roni: Your reading habits and topics have mirrored mine very closely over the last 7 or 8 years--down to a very similar list of NF books--and I too was/am in burnout. I seem to have lost my patience for most romances, and other forms of fiction, lately.
Since I'm a #1 Learner, when things aren't working, I look to nonfiction to help me figure it out. I think I knew I was struggling, but didn't recognize it as burnout until very recently. Sorry it hit you too, but it does help to know that I'm not alone, and that I'm not the only one who missed the early warning signs. Or, maybe, ignored them. Have a great holiday!
Gwen, thanks and I'm sorry you're struggling with burnout too. I think it's so easy to miss early signs because we're just laser-focused on the next thing, the next book, the next goal, whatever it is. And especially as #1 Learners we think, well I can fix whatever I need to, I'll just get a book/take a class and learn it. But there's only so much we can put on our plates before it tips over. Thanks for the comment. I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving as well!
Sorry you are experiencing burnout, Gwen! I hope it eases soon.
Wishing you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks, Jenny! You too. :-)
Thanks so much for this Roni! On a separate note, take me back to 2012! I read all those titles and miss that era of romance. I love what we've got going now too, but I miss the days when CJ Roberts blew my mind and Carina Press was going off. Sending so much love! xo
yeah, it's weird when the market shifts. I don't get how just everyone decides that no, we're not reading that anymore. I would just like all the kinds of books all the time lol.
Reading is the only thing I’ve been doing. I am amazed that I hit my writing goal for the year.
Congrats on hitting your goal! I bet reading could act as a barometer at both ends of the spectrum. For some, not reading enough could be a sign of burnout but on the other side, reading too much may be a sign someone's heading to burnout because it could be a writing avoidance tactic. Maybe somewhere in the middle is where we need to be, lol.
Happy Thanksgiving, Roni! I'm sorry the recovery is taking longer than you'd like. The spirit heals on it's own time, and it's slow after it takes a beating.
I just went through a few years of cancer, so I had to really examine this kind of thing. Your year of reading sounds like a marvelous thing!
Hey Jenny, good to hear from you! I'm sorry you've had some tough years to go through. *hugs* And yes, I think as I've gotten older, I'm growing (slightly) more patient with the fact that things are going to take the time they're going to take.
This year has been especially hard. We've had four deaths in the family, plus all that goes with that. It really rocked things just as I thought I was getting back on track. Here's to a better 2025.
So sorry you've had so many losses, Denise. That's hard. Here's looking to a better 2025 for sure.
Thank you.