5 Tips for Writing Students to Keep from Getting Burned Out

By Katy Backode

I was a writing major, and I was so excited as a freshman to begin my classes. Then, I got burned out. Then, I got burned out again. Then, I got so burned out that the idea of writing anything, even a Facebook status seemed repulsive.

So, what happens when I needed to get back on my feet? Here are some tips I wish I’d known:

1. Take a break: Stop doing what is making you burn out. Stop writing. Look at your syllabi and plan a writing break into your schedule. Give yourself time to recharge.

2. Read: If you’re a writer, then you probably like to read. Get re-motivated to do what you’ve gone to school and paid a million dollars to do. Read something you know you love to be reminded of what you want to create.

3. Talk to a Professor: Finding this kind of mentorship is important. View this mentor as a model for the type of writer you want to be one day. He or she can help keep you motivated throughout the times when you feel useless.

4. Find your niche: Tailor your writing assignments to be about something you love or something you fully understand. If you’re going to write at all while you’re burned out, try to make it tolerable.

5. Go find inspiration: If you’re burned out, you’re stuck. So, go find inspiration! Go on a walk in an undiscovered area near campus. Go walk through a dorm you’ve never been in. Try a new drink at the coffee shop. Feel different, be different, think differently just for a few hours. The new scenery will spark something, and hopefully it’s inspiration for something exciting to write.

Sometimes, however, despite trying these tips, you just have to push through. All writer’s go through it. You’re not alone. It just means you’re doing something right. Doing something you love, just maybe a little too much.

_________________________________________________________________

Katy Backode is set to graduate from Taylor University in May of 2014 with a degree in Journalism/Media Writing. She is originally from Naperville, Illinois where she lives with her three crazy little sisters, and parents. She has an unhealthy obsession with eating orange slices, and listening to random stations on Pandora. She can normally be found near a cup of coffee. Her Social Media Links: www.Facebook.com/KBackode  and http://kabkaty.tumblr.com