Ten months later and I’m back! Sort of. Maybe? To be determined…

When I started this newsletter, I had big goals. I always have big goals, it’s kind of a problem. Because they’re rarely achievable goals. My brain is looking at the big picture, taking the timeline all the way back and as far forward as it can imagine, but not diving deeper to figure out how to achieve said goals.

It’s a recipe for failure and burnout.

Like this newsletter, I set myself goals for 2024. I’d just bought a house the past September so getting that ready for move-in was high on the list. I had a novel I was working on for years I was determined to finish. I decided to make a career change into something entirely new. And I wanted to see my writing group continue to grow and thrive.

It’s now October 2024:

• I still haven’t moved into my house, over a year later.

• I decided to shelve the novel I spent years on.

• I did get a new job which came with all the trials and tribulations of such.

• And I got terribly behind on admin responsibilities for my writing group.

There are only so many spoons. My mental and physical energies were stretched so far beyond their capacity that it became a game of what has priority in this moment, what do I need to do to survive the day. But I’m stubborn and thought that I could still do it all anyway, that magically it would all fall into place.

I recently read Becca Syme’s Dear Writer, Are You in Burn Out? as I started to finally accept this current state of being. She talks about “energy pennies” vs spoons, the idea that some things will give you pennies for your internal bank, other things take them away. Whether it’s pennies or spoons, my drawer was empty and not filling back up again.

And so comes recovery.

Some of it has to be intentional. You have to do the work, no one else can do it for you. For me, that’s setting more time aside for reading. It’s shelving a project I love but is dragging me down, and exploring something new with no expectations, no guidelines. It’s taking more walks and letting my mind unfocus for a little while. It’s talking about things I love with people who share similar interests. It’s being kind to myself and recognizing that one person cannot do everything and that is okay.

And that new novel I’m working on? It’s been the most fun I’ve had in a long time.

I never actually set out to write any of this let alone stick it in this newsletter. Truly, I opened up a new draft and it spilled out, it’s been on my mind a lot. And maybe, just maybe, it might help someone else struggling through (creative) burnout too. That you’re not alone, and that there’s a way through it.

Now. That’s pretty heavy so let’s get to the good stuff. But first, dog picture (because yes I have a new dog since the last time I posted!).

run the novel gauntlet

This past year, I decided to cut any ties/affiliation I had as a writer to the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) organization due to their stance on generative AI and issues with their management of the online community and lack of action in that space. It would have been my 16th year participating and, like many other writers in the community, I still wanted to have that collective writing experience without the NaNo connection.

My writing group, the Goblin City Writers, came together to create our own challenge, the Novel Gauntlet. There are three writing tracks (30K, 60K, and 90K), drafting and editing are welcome, and our focus is on finishing projects. That might very well mean starting that first draft, but it could also be rewriting a project, completing developmental edits, etc.

We’ll be moving to hosting in October for 2025 but kept it in November this year for logistical reasons. Everyone is welcome to join in either in our Goblin City discord community (for fantasy, sci-fi, and horror writers) or on social media through the #NovelGauntlet tag. If you’re looking for community, we’re here to support you 💜

(Plus we have challenge merch! Both general and champion designs.)

As for what I’ll be working on for my Gauntlet run… allow me to introduce Project Masque!

This project is truly all vibes, no plot. Well, there might be a little plot but I’d say the bulk of it is inspired by the masquerade scene from Van Helsing, all things Crimson Peak, a very spooky forest filled with centuries-old fae curses, and a Wild Hunt about to take place…

beat the backlist 2025

But I did mention making more time to read too as part of my path to burnout recovery. My annual reading challenge shall be returning for its 9th year in 2025. For those new to BTB, it’s a minimal challenge to read books published in the previous year or prior. There are also optional reading prompts if you find those useful, as well as a discord community.

I’ll be launching a new website for the challenge when the 2025 edition is announced toward the end of November/beginning of December, so keep an eye out for that!

up next…

I know better now than to make promises about where this newsletter will go but I have some ideas, and maybe once I get all moved into my house (soon!!) and settled, I might even have time to put them into action. But don’t worry, this time they’re actually achievable 😅 So thank you for sticking around this long and here’s to having new things to talk about in the future!

Have a spooktacular rest of your October! 🎃