Lexical Gap No. 18: Scheinheilig

A period of rest and refilling the creative well

As I mentioned in my last newsletter, I had just turned in my terrible, terrible draft of Shadowsong to my editor. What I immediately did afterward was run back home to my parents in Los Angeles, where I spent the past three weeks resting and recovering from a rough first six months of 2017.

I've been candid before about burnout and creativity. What I didn't realize was just how long it would take to refill the creative well. They always tell you to take it easy on a workout after you injure yourself because the chance that you'll injure yourself again is much higher while you're still healing. I would argue that writing while recovering from burnout operates on much the same principle. I resigned my day job in May and wrote until I turned in a terrible, terrible, TERRIBLE (can I reiterate it was terrible????) draft at the end of June. It was done, it was over, but instead of feeling elated, I felt exhausted.

Thankfully, my parents allowed me to come home for an extended period. I ful…