Michael T. Hare

I am here to announce the dawn of my writer’s burnout, and until it fades away, I’ll be taking an extended break from writing. What is writer’s burnout, you may wonder? Some authors can get writer’s burnout from writing excessively, constantly editing and rewriting (that’s me), and much more. If this were a simple block, I would follow my trademark advice and write through it, but my research states this isn’t a reality.

Writer’s block is the inability to do what you love, whereas writer’s burnout is the inability to love what you love. My passion for writing is still there, yet my desire to physically type up a chapter has been hindered; simply put, my brain has an aversion to writing because I strained it.

Despite everything in me that wanted to keep writing, I questioned if I was really supposed to be an author. Why did I dislike writing? Why couldn’t I even finish a short story? Had I grown out of writing? Maybe writing will be a thing of past…. Well, it wasn’t until my mom diagnosed me with burnout that I began doing some additional research.

Writer’s burnout must be waited out through rest and mental rehabilitation, meaning that writing isn’t an option for me right now. My mind is too banged up from editing and rewriting, and it needs a breather. You might expect me to feel disappointed at all this, but it’s the opposite. Writer’s burnout was a looming phantom in my life for a long time, and until yesterday, I had zero idea of what I was feeling. No, I’m not disappointed. I’m hopeful—I might finally get in touch with my writing side again.

In a few months, I plan on coming back to my writing with fresh ideas, a new book to outline, and a whole lot of confidence. If you struggle with burnout, you may just need to take a break and rest—learn the symptoms to identify it and determine if it’s writer’s burnout or writer’s block. They may look similar from a distance, but with some scrutiny, you’ll find they are very different.

In the meantime, don’t forget to check out my stories: Magic And Moments (A Short Story Collection) and The Three Little Kittens. Both are currently free with Kindle Unlimited and available for reading. As for Magic And Moments, I recently published a paperback version that would make a wonderful holiday present! It features five short stories, which are as follows…

1. Dragon Courage – Talia’s family goes camping, and she’s nervous about going so far into the wild and away from her home. Nevertheless, when her drawing of a blue dragon comes to life, Talia learns the true meaning of courage.

2. Dear Girl from the Library – A beautiful love story composed of ‘thank you’ notes. All it took was a library, a romance novel, and a bit of gratitude, and thus began love.

3. Escaping the Heatwave – Knight, a stubborn cat who believes colonies do not mix, is convinced by the optimistic Farm Cat to consult another cat colony and escape the Wyoming heat. On their journey, they find friends… and even a little love.

4. Discovery – Prince Yunru, the only survivor from the ravaged kingdom Melzkù, returns for knowledge about how to stop The Wave—a deadly force of magic that runs rampant among the lands.

5. Deals – A child… a deal… a huntsman… and a blade.

Best wishes,

Michael.