Back when I was writing plays, I used to come down with the worst case of post-show depression. You’re working, working, working and then suddenly you’re … not. I’d feel adrift and sad that the show had come to an end. And when I say I’d get depressed, I mean crying in the car on the way to my dead-end job depressed. Complaining about it to friends and family alike. Wallowing in episode after episode of THE WIRE and thinking that the world just wasn’t a very good place depressed.
Well, my book tour just ended for good on Monday. I’m no longer traveling to glamorous cities, meeting loads of new people, or reconnecting with friends I haven’t seen in ages. And I’m not depressed. Why not? Well a few years ago I struck upon the perfect solution for the post-project blues:
Simply, begin another project.
I launched Fierce and Nerdy just as I was finishing up the copy edits on 32 CANDLES. And now that I’m thisclose to being done with the beta draft of THE AWESOME GIRLS GUIDE TO DATING EXTRAORDINARY MEN and my book tour, we’re moving house. And then we’re taking a vacation. And then we’re starting work on a second baby. To the outside world, this may look a little insane. Why schedule so many big projects so close together? But you know what? I don’t get post-project blues anymore.
So if you’re currently doing something like NaNoWriMo or some other big endeavor, I suggest that you schedule something super-big for December 1st. Begin a new novel. Take on a project you’ve been meaning to tackle for a while now. Volunteer somewhere. But whatever you do, don’t take that time to “rest.” Resting, as tempting as it sounds, will only depress you.
featured image credit: Stuck in Customs