Living Life to the Fullest: Passion Projects and Burnout

The life of a writer is a hectic one. While it is different for all, most of us have the same routine going on. There’s a “day” job, the place where we make ends meet and keep a connection to the real world. There’s the “night” job, the moment where we slip on some headphones and escape to the reality created at our fingertips. This back and forth in a singular day can create friction in our lives.

What do we really want? 

Are we real writers if we don’t make any money off it? 

How much do we have to write in a day to even consider ourselves an “author”?

And most importantly: is there a way to stop the burnout while living the life we want to live?

Living Life to the Fullest

Writing is exceptionally hard. It’s even harder when trying to make a career out of it. If you’re like me, I struggle on a day-to-day basis with where I’m at in my life. The longing to be those traditionally published authors we see on all the shelves of Barnes & Noble keeps me up at night. The sinking feeling of thinking I’ll be a waitress for the rest of eternity is the one thing that truly scares me. Not that being a waitress is a bad thing. Working in a bustling bistro for the past four years has changed me entirely for the better! Confidence comes easier, talking to strangers feels simpler. 

That being said, every time I bring a patron a beer, I imagine what it would be like to be nestled within a wide library, seeing fans of my story line up to get their books signed. 

The thing that keeps me going throughout all of this uncertainty is filling my life with all the things that make me feel full. Even if I don’t have the exact career I would like at this moment, there are so many things that keep me trudging toward that future. Writing, obviously, is the main one! Working on this blog has connected me back into personal writing, just getting thoughts on a page and connecting with other writers. In this way, I feel less alone in this story-making journey. 

Not only that, but I am pushing through a first draft! It is the sequel to my first book, The Halls of Valhalla, and while the outline is pretty filled out, the draft is coming slowly, but surely. It’s a lot of blank pages at this moment, but throughout this blog, you will get to see it become something more fleshed out, something to look forward to! And I’m more than excited to keep sharing information about it. 

Another thing I’ve started to thrive in the latter half of this year is freelance work. Writers have a large market in front of them that requires a complex and creative mind. From content editing to ghostwriting, there is something available for anyone who prefers to spend their time in front of a computer screen. The first job I completed was through Upwork, the largest freelance website that specializes in remote work for writers of all kinds. There’s scriptwriting jobs, content creation jobs, SEO writing jobs, and so many more. Ghostwriting is one of the most popular jobs available on Upwork. 

If you didn’t know, ghostwriting is the act of writing some sort of completed project, and getting paid for it with the idea that the writer’s name will not be attached to it. For example, people looking to get into the mass-produced publishing industry will hire ghostwriters to pump out a series of short books that fall under one popular trope and genre. These writers will get paid for their work and agree to not be recognized as the authors. It’s a job that takes some getting used to!

My first job through Upwork was a simple one: edit a Greek mythology inspired romantic fantasy during it’s early stages. It was a fun experience, and taught me a lot of things about the writing industry. One cool thing I learned: I’m an exceptionally fast reader! 

Writing isn’t the only thing I like to fill my time with. One other major thing that you will read about in this blog is baking! Ask anyone who knows me: I’m in the kitchen, apron on, whisking a batter away every few days. Coworkers have a spring in their step when I walk through the restaurant door with a bag full of treats. My home is full of bags with leftover sweets and treats, just waiting to be gobbled up. The only con: not having enough stomach space so I can eat it all! 

Baking is a fun hobby of mine that I picked up within the last five years. As of now, it has become a stress reliever and a coping mechanism. When the going gets tough, I find myself wandering into the kitchen, searching for ingredients that’ll spark something within me. It is much like creating a new story, walking around your environment until something hits you, and needs to be written down. Baking cures my sadness, it blots away the anxiety. It gives my hands something to do while my brain can stop chasing itself. 

One of the best treats I baked recently were these luscious and rich Tiramisu brownies! My mouth waters just when I think of them! 

A fudgy, thick brownie is delicately baked in a wide pan so it gets that classic crackly crust on the top when set aside to cool. While they chill, spongy ladyfingers are dipped in freshly brewed dark coffee till they’ve sucked up all the liquid, turning a chocolately color. The soaked ladyfingers are lined up like soldiers over the brownie till all the space is filled up. After whipping together a creamy mascarpone cream, dollop it all over the sponges, and spread it evenly across the pan. Chilling the pan overnight creates a luxurious texture that is just like a Tiramisu, light and airy at the top, and dense with the brownies at the bottom. 

When ready to serve, dust the top with some coco powder, and slice! The results are always heavenly. Despite it being a large project to get done, baking this was a two-day plan, and it filled me with joy and relaxation. 

The point of this blog post is to emphasize the importance of filling your life with things that make you happy and excited to be doing them. As writers, we face a lot of backlash when creating our stories. Whether it’s a series of rejections or failure to sell as many books as we hoped, it’s easy to get down in the dumps. The best way to pick ourselves up after these occurrences is to remember everything else within our lives. 

Don’t let the burnout get to you. Living life to the fullest as a writer doesn't have to be hard. Don’t let rejections or the fear of it stop you from creating something great. Because in the end, only you can build the story you were meant to tell.

Thanks for tuning in. See you soon :)