How ELSE Does a Writer Unwind After a Deadline?

by Lynn H. Blackburn @LynnHBlackburn

Ideally, we would all hit send on our manuscripts and immediately retire to the locale of our choice. Perhaps a country estate, a mountain cabin, a beach house, or maybe even a yacht. In each of these environments, we would be served food and beverages, celebrated for our mammoth achievements, and encouraged to soak in the bliss of a job well done. 

SCREEEECH. 

That was the needle being scraped along the record of real life. 

As I mentioned last month, the first seventy-two hours post-deadline are likely to occur in a haze of mental confusion, emotional exhaustion, and physical fatigue. 

But then what? 

How can we refill our depleted creative resources while also returning to regularly scheduled programming in our homes, with our families, and all our other myriad responsibilities? 

As usual, I have thoughts. 

1. Taking care of yourself post-deadline should never be seen as optional. We don’t expect a marathon runner to skip across the finish line and then head straight to work. Why do we expect it of ourselves as writers? 

2. Taking care of yourself post-deadline doesn’t require spending a lot of money. It does require intentionality. 

3. Taking care of yourself post-deadline is up to you. No one is going to do it for you. And before you start thinking that this is selfish, remember that you can’t be the spouse, parent, sibling, friend, employee, etc. that you want to be if you’re so frazzled you can’t think straight. 

4. Taking care of yourself post-deadline is super personal. I’ll give you some tips and tricks, but ultimately, you’re the only one who can figure out what you need most. Making the effort to do this will help you in the long run. 

So, how do we do this? Each idea below has a simple option and a splurge option. The splurge may or may not require money. Sometimes the splurge is in time. 

Post-Deadline Self-Care for Writers

Simple—Sleep

Splurge—Sleep more

This one is the most obvious and also, shockingly enough, the one many of us ignore. But don’t ignore it! Your body heals, your mind resets, and your emotions recalibrate while you sleep. Sleep!!! 

Simple—Stretch

Splurge—Get a massage

It costs nothing to stretch your neck and back. We should all be doing this regularly anyway, but post-deadline, it’s crucial to take care of those tight muscles. Most writers who want to make a career out of publishing are going to spend hours and hours sitting in front of a computer. Your neck, back, arms, wrists, and hips are just as much tools as your MacBook or your fountain pen. A simple internet search will give you stretches you can do at home. If a massage is in the budget, tell the therapist what you’ve been doing and that you need them to pay close attention to your neck, shoulders, and upper chest. 

Simple—Everything shower

Splurge—Mani/pedi/Spa day

I’m not sure what the male equivalent of an everything shower is, so guys, you’ll have to extrapolate from what I’m about to say and do your own thing. Ladies, post-deadline is the time for an everything shower because we know it’s been a while since you did more than the bare minimum. Shave. Wash your hair. Wash it again. Deep condition. Use a face mask. Exfoliate. Slather yourself in a lotion that smells good. Dry your hair. If you use makeup, find it (because it may have been a while) and put it on. If you can afford it, treat yourself to a mani/pedi, or even better, a spa day. (Hint: If you have a deadline coming up, ask for gift cards to make this splurge a reality!)

Simple—Go for a walk

Splurge—Go for a hike or a walk on the beach

You NEED sunshine. You NEED fresh air. If you can get it in the mountains beside a waterfall, or barefoot on the sand with a salty breeze blowing your hair around, even better. You don’t have to set speed records. Just get outside and move your body. 

Simple—Go on an artist date

Splurge—Get away for the weekend

I’m a big fan of artist dates year round, but I’m not sure there’s ever a more crucial time than post-deadline. This could be as big as going to a concert or as small as wandering around your favorite store. As I mentioned last month, there’s a very good chance that doing anything with words won’t work for you. Don’t panic if you can’t read right now. You’ve been immersed in words. Now is the time to fill your tank with other things. Pretty fabrics, lush yarns, gorgeous artwork, passionate performers of whatever type of music brings you joy, funny movies - those are the kinds of things you want to indulge in! You only need a few hours to do the simple version. If you can take off for the weekend? Even better!

Simple—Acknowledge the to-do list

Splurge—Ignore the to-do list

There’s not much that makes me more stressed than knowing I have a million things to do. So post-deadline, don’t fight that. Make the list. Get it out of your brain and onto a piece of paper or into your notes app. And then, if at all possible, ignore it for a day or two. It will still be there. I promise. If you can’t ignore it completely, ignore as much as you can. Do what must be done, but give yourself permission to rest!

If you’re going to make publishing part of your life, deadlines will also be a regular occurrence. Be gentle with yourself. You’ve worked hard! Now it’s time to take a break! 

Grace and peace,

Lynn

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Lynn H. Blackburn is the award-winning author of Unknown Threat, Malicious Intent, and Under Fire, as well as the Dive Team Investigations series. She loves writing swoon-worthy southern suspense because her childhood fantasy was to become a spy, but her grown-up reality is that she's a huge chicken and would have been caught on her first mission. She prefers to live vicariously through her characters by putting them into terrifying situations while she's sitting at home in her pajamas! She lives in Simpsonville, South Carolina, with her true love, Brian, and their three children. Learn more at www.lynnhblackburn.com.