post-writing hangover?

Post date: 2025-05-20 23:06:07

I FINALLY finished a piece of creative work and now I... don't know what to do with myself! Advice requested from other creatives to manage the emotional side of this, and how to get started on something new.

I finished a novel draft I've been working on for a long time... like, five years? By which I mean, finished writing, editing etc, so it's basically as done as it's ever going to be. I wrote it as a passion project for myself so publishing/putting online/sharing with friends and family isn't currently on the cards, although it's early days and I may end up reconsidering that in time, it seems unllikely at this point. I've considered editing it into something with a bit more heft that I COULD share, but that's not really what I want to do. I'm very proud of it, but for now it's just for me.

But now I feel really anticlimactic and weird? I feel like I've been sharing my brain space with these characters for such a long time, and they're going quieter in my head now that I'm finally done, and I miss them?? I also just feel weirdly sad? This project kept me going emotionally through tough times.

I have thoughts about future projects but I also feel quite flattened by other life events - my mother died a month ago. While I'd love to get started on something else I'm not sure I have the emotional wherewithal to start again from scratch right now. But I also don't know how I feel about not writing for a bit. It was so emotionally regulating for me to write for a few hours every day, but that was when I had reams of material already produced and it didn't feel so intimidating.

Advice required for how to manage being here in this post-creative comedown space. And how do I even THINK about starting something new

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