Another Break, Again, But For Real This Time
I have been informed by my roommates that "announcing a break in which you actually just do a bunch of work on Bioshifter instead of Vigor Mortis" does not count as taking a break, and "having a mental health problem serious enough to prevent you from working for a day" also does not count as taking a break, and while these things make some amount of sense when spelled out to me they are the type of thing that struggles immensely to get through my skull. So I've mostly been ignoring them.
But not I feel like I have lately been struggling more and more with deadlines, having more bad days than usual, dreading the chapters I write more, and... oops, that's starting to sound like burnout. Which would be bad.
But god damnit, I really, really don't want to take a break.
I write web novels in large part because I read a lot of web novels. I've seen this song and dance from the other side: the author updates less frequently, posts more non-story announcements, and there's this general sense from the reader side of things that stuff is slipping. I already feel like I'm there, that I'm taking too many breaks, that I'm getting complacent and lazy. Except, apparently, I haven't taken any breaks, I've been working six days a week for months on end without so much as pausing after completing the volumes I've completed in that time. And healthy authors don't do that. Healthy authors schedule lots of breaks. And sick days aren't breaks. I know all of that, yet I'm posting this big rant to justify taking rest anyway because it feels wrong to me, to let myself relax for a moment, to risk the utter dread terror of taking that rest and still not wanting to write after it's done. That's what I'm afraid of. That I'll be complacent and lazy and just another author that leaves things unfinished and falls off the face of the earth.
I have been convinced that is not a rational fear. I have been convinced that sometimes I have to stop, because humans can't just keep going and only rest when they're physically unable to do anything else. But it's difficult for me. I don't think I deserve to stop writing, not when all these words are still stuck in my head and waiting to enter yours.
So, uh... yeah. One week. One week of actually not doing any work, except... ugh. Some stuff I've been putting off with Amazon. But! Other than that! Which won't be much! I'll totally rest! It starts now, and the next chapter will be the 11th (Bioshifter)/the 13th (Vigor Mortis) at the latest. Expect those times. Maybe smack me if I write anything sooner than that, which I might. I dunno.
Sorry everyone. I'll be back soon, and hopefully better than ever.
Comments (30)
Saying stuff that’s already been said, but You deserve a break. You’ve been cranking out chapters for months now, and all of them have been high quality with time invested in them. It’s ok to take breaks, especially after what you’ve accomplished. All of your readers are behind you here. One more thing, a week sounds like very little. Maybe take a few weeks or even a month and just do what you want. Take a vacation, go places you want to, or don’t go anywhere at all. Spend some time with other hobbies, or find some if you don’t have many. Mental health is really important and I feel I speak for all of us when I say we care about you and your health. Treat yourself, and don’t force yourself to do things. This doesn’t mean we want to see less of you, just that we care. Relax, and have fun! We love you Thunda. :)
Take a break and relax! Saying this in the nicest way: the world does not hinge on your story! Nothing bad will happen to any of us readers if you don't write for a week! Creative endeavours are not meant to be on a super tight, super fast, schedule. You're not a robot! Disengage for a bit, relax, and come back fresh and with renewed focus.
Vita is also afraid of getting lazy and complacent. And was also "ranting" alot as of late. Sooo. Your "Vita" is shining through. Go to bed, cuddle your Rosco and eat tons of great food.
Read bioshifter this is exactly something the MC from there would do too.... I'm only now realising the MCs are all basically self inserts with different names.
I hope you have a good and uninterrupted vacation! I'd be much happier knowing that you take care of yourself and that I can enjoy your writing over a long period of time as a result than e.g. quickly getting a dozen or so chapters before you burn out.
Please do take regular breaks, everyone needs them and nobody worth caring about will object. Idk if this can be helpful for you, but if you feel guilty about taking a break because you need to get the words out of your head to your readers and worry about flaking before you're done, maybe it could help you to reconceptualize the breaks as something you need to do in order to get the words out right and continue getting them out at all, so it's not something that delays your writing but enables it and avoids you flaking because of burnout.
Your readers have vacations too around this time! Some of which involves extended periods outdoors in remote locations without internet, for me at least, so I'll be getting behind on my web serial reading. It's a good time to take a break.
It’s alright if you take a break, your writing is too good to give up. So we’ll still be here no matter how long your break is❤️
You are too addicted to writing to not return after a break. Trust in your addiction.
I love your writing but everyone needs breaks & you shouldn't push yourself. If it's possible maybe you need a change of scenery. Go on a little trip or something
Yo fam, I (and I’m sure quite a few others) follow and pay for your writing not because you have a set schedule but because I want to be able to read it as soon as it comes out. Don’t stress about deadlines too much, they’re not ones that readers have set. Have a nice break
I love your writing and if you need breaks to keep up the high quality then take all the time you need
That is the most real author note I've seen in a while. I could almost see your facial expressions in this. Take care of yourself and don't worry about us. Worry about yourself and we'll be OK!
good luck have fun!
Yeah, at some point you have to start treating yourself more like a friend you really do care about vs some kind of barely-tolerated indentured servant who must only get rest if it seems like they'll collapse otherwise
Thats perfectly alright! And as one workaholic to another I'll add on my perspective to the bunch as well. I tend to view my semi-forced breaks as a necessary thing to keep up the quality of what I'm working on. If you're running on fumes or generally in a bad headspace the work you will do is less good than it could be if you were well rested. So take that rest to make sure the story is the best it can be :)
You absolutely deserve to take a break! I hope you have fun with whatever you do on your break :) And if it takes longer than a week, that's fine too!
If it helps don’t think of it as a break, think of it as annual leave. Everyone needs a holiday, be it from work or life. Depression and anxiety kill. If something is wrong take time to treat it. Saying this I should really sort my own shit. Unfortunately knowing the steps is different to dancing the dance. 😓
i love your shit! but yeah, you need a vacation then fucking take one. consider your decision supported.
I think you should take the time to decide how many breaks you want to take in a year, when you want to take them, and plan those ahead. In my experience, if you only say "I'll take breaks when I need them" you wont take enough and yet feel bad about taking too many
Echoing the general sentiment here, taking a proper break is fine, go for two or more weeks if you need it, please. Everyone needs good and proper vacation time to chill and unwind, there's no reason authors should be an exception here and, in general, doing work you love is still work. I agree that a good rule of thumb should be one week of break per month, minimum, before you should consider yourself slipping at all. that's just healthy for anyone with a job.
Rest is an important part of productivity, just think of how much writing you'll be able to do after you take a proper breather. Thank you so much for the announcements/updates as well. No one wants to see you hurt yourself. Take care of yourself.
Kinda wish you would take a longer break than one week. we can wait, you getting close to burnout should not. A Month would be more what I expected and we can wait that long for an update. I've waited literal years for books I finished in 3 days before and I'm sure some others here have as well. A month for a chapter isn't that bad.
Rest up, mental health is important.
You should take time off in general. Say the second or third week of each month where you don’t post anything.
No worries even vita takes breaks. You are a really good human but not mana-alien/souls eating lich good. So have a nice rest.
Take as much time as you need! I remember pirateaba regularly takes two week breaks, and if you need it, you need it.
❤️
Please take all the time that you need! We all want you to stay happy and healthy
i hope you feel better goo!