Coffee With David

On Saturday I had the worse case of burn out. Between things with my full time job, the St. Louis Writers Guild, and trying to get Dark Medicine finished my body finally went on strike and refused to do one more thing. So I took the day off of everything and laid around watching movies and reading. Burnout is one of the most dangerous things to the writer’s psyche—especially the part time writer. All writers have to balance career and family, friends, and life in general. Part time writers often have to manage at least one other career until they can live off of the career of their dreams.

The reason burnout is so dangerous to the writer is twofold. First, it drags the energy from our writing and makes it stale, if not hackneyed. Second, it will cause some writers just to quit—allowing the pressure and the rejections to build up pressure. How do you manage burnout? I may not have the best method as I usually push myself into the badlands as far as I can crawl. Then I lie there, the sand and dust caking my lips. I roll over and stare at the sky as the black wings of buzzards circle as they decide if I am dead and will make a tasty meal or not. I then have to come to a decision if I can find it in myself to push myself to my feet again and get out of the badlands, or if I will lie there until there is nothing left but sun bleached bones.

That was not literal. However, it is how I feel. I let my exhausted mind and body come to a rest and stay there as I try to decide what I am going to do. As I rest, I focus on what my number one priority. God gave me this gift and curse for a reason. It is that reason that I will keep writing and it remains high on my priority list.

The results of lying there was a strong time of writing as soon as I was up for it. So, Dark Medicine and my other writing continues.

Thank you for reading and please visit www.davidalanlucas.com for up to date information on the articles, blogs, novels, and short stories that I write.