It’s spooky season… and time for our autumnal Quarterly Quest Update. It’s fitting that, seasonally speaking, this is a time of winding down, of lengthening shadows and longer nights, of harvesting and paring back rather than planting or growing.
In my previous update, I talked about how nice it was to finally have some breathing room in my schedule. In practically the same breath, I also talked about my mile-long to-do list and how much of it I hoped to get done in the coming months.
So maybe it shouldn’t have come as a surprise when, amid that whirlwind of planning and doing, I burned out. Hard. I began to dread writing as I’ve never done before, even when I was writing topics I didn’t care about for clients I didn’t like. I’d put my hands on the keyboard and feel dizzy, hollow, sometimes even sick to my stomach.
My story didn’t feel like my story anymore. My words had gone silent; my well had run dry. I learned, the hard way, that I still have a lot to learn about balance.
Previous check-ins:
Overall Quest Progress
Looking back, my goals for this past quarter were:
- Draft Chapters 7 & 8 of Shadow of the Curse-Eater
- Set aside time every week for personal development (learning new things, engaging in therapeutic exercises, et cetera)
- Create new systems for organizing and growing as a professional writer
So how did I do?
I was partway through drafting chapter 7 of SotCE when my writing ground to a halt. I was also in the middle of working on various behind-the-scenes, promo-type stuff as my editor and I geared up for the release of the pre-beta demo and (eventually) announcing the game on Steam. Following a heart-to-heart with my editor, we agreed that I needed some time away from the project to recover. So for a limited time, my work on SotCE is on hiatus.
As for my second goal around personal development… I saw mixed results here. Some weeks I made time, others I did not. Once I burned out completely, my schedule all but went out the window for several weeks. I’m just now starting to get my calendar reorganized.
And finally, regarding those systems I wanted to create—I’m still working on that. I have managed some small changes to my processes that will hopefully make my life easier; I’ll be looking into others, gradually, in the months to come.
Shadow of the Curse-Eater
It was hard to admit, to myself and especially to my editor, but taking a break from Shadow of the Curse-Eater was a necessary decision, one I am lucky to be able to make without losing this opportunity entirely. Ultimately, taking my time will make SotCE that much better, even though it means extending the project timeline beyond what I’d initially planned and hoped for.
This hiatus will only be temporary; I am still anticipating a full release of the game sometime next year, and plan to get back to writing soon.
The Dragon’s Last Flight
The Dragon’s Last Flight has been on the back burner for a while, unfortunately. As things are now, I have to admit that this project, too, is on hiatus until further notice—but it will be the first major project I get to once SotCE is done.
Odds & Ends
- I was interviewed by Bold Journey back in August. Read the full interview here!
- I met some hobbits and Brandon Sanderson at Tampa Bay Comic Con—what a blast!
- Secret projects are, of course, on hold for the time being.
- I’m working up to a bi-weekly posting schedule for the blog; it might take some time to get there, but I have posted a few new things (besides this post) during the last few months.
Looking Ahead: Quests for Winter 2023
My focus for this year, fittingly, has been balance. It’s something I’ve struggled with for a long time, but the good news is, I think I’ve learned a lot about it this year. One major takeaway I’ve discovered is that balance looks different for everyone, and it can change throughout your life or even throughout the year. Priorities shift, by choice and by chance, and creative energy waxes and wanes like the moon.
Your schedule should fit your life and your needs, not the other way around.
As I’m still recovering, one step at a time, from burnout, my top three goals for the 4th quarter of 2023 are simple and largely centered around self-compassion:
- Schedule downtime daily
- Journal weekly
- Refill my creative well weekly
(Note that the lack of projects mentioned here does not mean I will not be working on them at all in the coming months; I am simply still ironing out the details of what those timelines will look like.)
Here’s to a cozy autumn (or comfy spring, depending on where you live)—and to not only making space to breathe, but then giving yourself time to actually do so. Cheers!
Kim Berkley is a fantasy author, video game writer, and cat whisperer. To get first dibs on beta testing opportunities, new releases, and other major announcements, be sure to sign up for her free newsletter!
