Fighting The Fatigue

I'm sure you've been there.  Felt it and endured it.  I think we all have.

You're writing -- or creating any other type of art -- and things are going splendidly.  You're at the point where even thinking about your creation makes you excited.  Everything's awesome and there's a bright place that you can see in the distance.  It looked far away once before, but not so much anymore.  That incredible thing, Completion, is so very very close.

And then it isn't.

That's when it settles in.  Takes hold of your body and thoughts.  Ask anyone and they'll tell you that it really is a physical thing.  It's nearly a personified force that you can gauge and measure: The Fatigue.

It cements itself in your bones and you can feel it weighing down every step you take.  Just the thought of getting through the day, let alone investing time to paint a new picture or write another story, is shudder-inducing.  When you finally do get some time to yourself, even sleeping seems like an effort.  Lounging around, watching television (usually bad television), and generally wasting time tends to have a higher likelihood of occurring.  Before you know it, weeks or months have passed and that once luminous Completion is a forgotten, dusty thing tossed sadly into a corner.

So how does one, you know, fight The Fatigue?

First of all, understanding that it's not such an ominous, horrible force of nature is a giant step in the right direction.  Creating any type of art is usually an enormously involved task.  Artists put their entire body and soul into their work, so is getting completely exhausted that unnatural?  Not really.  It's just a sign that you're really working and thinking very deeply.  One gets achy and drained from intense exercise... and, I'm guessing if you ask any prolific published author, they will tell you that writing is most definitely a rigorous form of exercise.  So don't beat yourself up over feeling tired.  After all, it's symbolic of a good workout.

Second, let yourself rest a bit.  Watch some TV.  Go hang out with some friends or take a loved one out to for a walk or dinner.  The world's still spinning out there, and isn't it that very world that gave you your inspiration to begin with?

Sometimes that isn't enough, though.  When I was writing my last script, The Fatigue hit me harder than it ever had before in my life.  I could probably list a million reasons why, but I won't go into that here.  One thing that helped me get back on track, along with the much-needed encouragement of my cousin, was that I did something very simple and natural:

I got angry.

Anger can cause one to do some pretty stupid things, but that's what it does: it makes one... DO.  It causes people to fly into action.  And, if utilized and harnessed correctly, it can make you do some wonderful things as well.  So that's what I did.  I raged.  I was pissed that I had neglected my story for so long, made so many excuses.  I literally fought The Fatigue tooth and nail.

And guess what I found out?  Turns out The Fatigue isn't so tough after all.  It's just another thing that becomes trampled and forgotten.  An enemy that seemed so scary, but, almost disappointingly, wasn't.  "All that agony over that?"  You'll be amazed and happy how wonderful it feels to get back to work.

So if you ever feel that way like I did, try some anger on for size.  It's a start, right?  And sometimes that's all that we need.