Reading When You’re Burned Out
Times are tough, y’all. Times are tough. Not to get too deep into the weeds, but I was laid off in June.
Even before that joyous development, I’ve been feeling burned out. I’ve talked before about how I write at least one story every month, a practice I’ve kept up since September 2023 (although I’ve missed three non-consecutive months).
I’m still writing monthly stories and submitting them, but holy shit, y’all, publishers are not biting for me this year. It could partially be because I’m aiming higher, targeting almost entirely pro-rate magazines. I’ve received 14 rejections (or no responses) this year, and 1.5 acceptances (I say 1.5 because one story was shortlisted in a competition, but was published).
If you’re like, “Well, fourteen really isn’t very many,” yeah, I agree, but again, I’ve been really picky this year. I haven’t made many more than 14 submissions. (Oh, my god, am I being too picky? AM I?? SOMEONE, PLEASE TELL ME.)
Anyway, shit sucks. It’s been draining. Which is annoying, because obviously I know that, as a writer, I am not guaranteed consistency. Far from it. As a writer, the only thing I am guaranteed is rejection.
Still, I suspect that my downcast mood is affecting my reading habits. Behold, my Goodreads book count for the last six years:
We’re over halfway through 2026. How many books have I read? Sixteen. Some were short stories.
There’s obviously nothing wrong with not reading a multitude of books; I’m not someone who obsessively reads just to say they reached a certain number of books. But I’ve always been an avid reader. When I was a kid, people loooooved to inform me that when I grew up, I wouldn’t read as much. They were wrong.
So it’s kind of a personal bummer that I have zero drive to read anything new. Hopefully, I’ll regain that missing spark sometime soon.
It took me a couple of months to try reading something I’ve read before, but it worked (currently making my way through the Animorphs series).
And there’s nothing wrong with indulging in the comfort of a well-loved book or two or twenty. Or maybe you want to reset and read a palate cleanser, whatever that looks like for you (for me: Frieda McFadden thrillers).
Whatever works, y’know?
Writing without a paywall is important to me, but writing is work. If you enjoyed this post or found it helpful, I would be honored if you would consider donating.