Hangover

So, I finished writing the first draft of a novel on Sunday. Today, I finished reading a book I started on Tuesday. I have serious book hangover now, in that I neither want to read or write a new book. This is a problem for me.

I get this occasionally, especially after I finish reading a really, really good book (such as THE FAIRIES OF SADIEVILLE), and absolutely NOTHING else on my reading pile or my Kindle looks good to me at all. This feeling often takes days to go away. It will eventually, but in the meantime, all my reading time usually becomes writing time.

However, right now, I have nothing I want to write. I have two Teslacon books on my computer that need to be edited, and now I have the first draft of that third Survivor Journals book, but I won't even look at that thing for at least a month. I need to cleanse the palate before I can think of seriously buckling down and editing.

I have an idea for a fourth TeslaCon book, but that series may not pan out. The first book is not selling at all. It did all right with the Con-goers, but it's generating no reviews and no sales. I guess Steampunk lit is not as hot as I thought it might be. I don't want to throw effort after nothing.

I have ideas for fantasy novels percolating in my brains, but there's something that blocks me from writing fantasy or mystery--my two favorite genres to read. I think I feel like I'm not good enough to write those because I hold the authors I like in those genres in such high regard.

I may have to switch it up and get away from prose for a little while, maybe hack out a screenplay or work on some non-fiction. Maybe try to write a comic book (something I've always wanted to do).

If nothing else works, I can always go dig up one of the dozens and dozens of novel starts or premise ideas on my hard drive "idea" folder and see if I can breathe life into one of those dying beasts.

Or, maybe it's good to take a couple days off.

I quit writing all the time. (I think I've told this story before.) I will look at sales. I will look at the lack of reviews. I will remember how impossible the game feels most of the time, get discouraged, and quit writing. I quit writing forever at least once or twice a week, it seems. And still, the next day, that computer gets turned on, Scrivener gets opened up, and I start slogging again. A real glutton for punishment, I am.

There is always something to work on, though. Always. And I will always get back to it sooner than later.