✍️ Burnout Doesn’t Make You a Better Writer

Why rest is the not-so-secret ingredient behind a six-figure writing career.

I’m heading to the Italian countryside in just over a week for a writing retreat — yoga in the mornings, risotto under olive trees in the evenings, and no overflowing inbox in sight.

A few years ago, the idea of unplugging for an entire week would’ve made me anxious. I’d worry that I was missing out or not pushing my writing career forward fast enough. But now? I see breaks as an essential part of the creative process — not a luxury.

More on that in this week’s Sunday Tea below :)

In today’s newsletter, you’ll read about:

✨ What really happens when you actually take a break

✍️ Writing jobs you may have missed last week

📚 Writing Community Wins: cool community victories this week!

✍️ Missed This Past Week’s Writing Jobs?

Did you miss it? Here are the writing jobs on this past week’s job board:

• A visionary lit mag wants pitches on future Earth — $1,200/piece

• A boutique fashion brand is looking for a senior copywriter to lead seasonal campaigns and product storytelling — up to $8,300/month

• A major storytelling grant is open to writers working on environmental themes — up to $100,000 in funding

If you missed the last issue of my writing job board, check it out at the link below:

🙌 Writing Community Wins!

Here’s what some of your fellow writers in the community have been up to lately:

• Katrina Donham
  has a new interview series where she’s talking with writers about their experience with postpartum depression and anxiety. The series has gotten a good reception so far, and you can check out the most recent interview here! Katrina’s also been busy with her article writing, and has a new piece in Parents.

• Jo Ollila
  has had a ton of momentum lately on her ghostwriting! In the chat, she shared: “I just wrapped up three days with a ghostwriting client, interviewing her for her book. My mind is exhausted but brimming with ideas on how to best create the book that's been living inside her for decades. :) I'm also about to publish the first in a series of children's read-aloud books that I developed from a storytelling game my dad and I invented when I was a girl. It's been a busy but productive week! I truly love being part of this supportive community!”

• Matthew Evans
  is enjoying his work as a video game journalist at CBR!

❓ Want to see your community wins featured in an upcoming newsletter? Every week in my subscriber chat I ask for what amazing feats you’ve achieved that week, and I pick a handful to highlight.

Access the subscriber chat below:

📖 Bookish News & Links

…to give you more conversation starters with your writer friends!

🍴Cece Xie gives an emotional look into what happens when you lose your book deal and your publisher “divorces” you. Truly heartbreaking stuff (kudos to Cece for being courageous enough to share!) and this is one of the (many!) reasons why I think self-publishing/independent publishing > traditional publishing.

📚 This interview with Katherine Pomfret was fascinating in the way she talks about the “psychic harm” of her marketing job that she quit, and how in retreating to nature and off-the-grid living, she found peace. While writing-adjacent, this piece made me think about why writers often seek a quieter, softer existence in nature to better connect with something deeper within themselves.

🙌 Book subscription boxes are turning into publishers. I love how this article makes the point that just one book subscription ordering a book when it releases could be enough to land it on a bestseller list due to the order volume. Something to keep in mind for your own book launch!

🫖 Sunday Tea: Burnout Doesn’t Make You a Better Writer

This week’s thoughts.

When I first started freelancing, I treated rest like a guilty pleasure — something I had to earn by hitting a milestone or surviving a particularly hellish deadline. Even on vacation, I’d sneak glances at my inbox “just in case.”

But over the years, I’ve learned that real rest — the kind where you fully unplug, recharge, and step away from the to-do list — is essential if you want a writing career that deepens over time and grows more fulfilling, complex, and creatively rich.

Here’s the secret: rest isn’t a reward. It’s a strategy.

The more I’ve leaned into sabbaticals, offline weekends, and retreats like the one I’m about to head to, the better my writing has become. I come back with sharper ideas, more creative energy, and a deeper connection to my voice.

When I spent nearly a month living solo in a brownstone in Chelsea, Manhattan, I balanced days of wandering and rest with focused writing sprints on my romantasy novel The Ash Trials. I’m about to go to draft with a new book, and I’ll be using my upcoming trips to Denmark and Italy as a way to clean my creative state and start fresh.

Freelancing gives us the gift of flexibility — but it’s on us to use it. That means scheduling in rest before the burnout hits. Blocking off time to wander, nap, daydream, and just be. Bonus points if there’s Italian sourdough pizza involved.

So if you’re waiting for someone to give you permission to take a break? Consider this it.

Because your future readers won’t care how many hours you worked. They’ll care about how your words made them feel — and resonance doesn’t come from exhaustion. It comes from a rested, inspired writer who’s actually living between the lines.

Go refill your creative well. I’ll be over here doing the same, one sun-drenched yoga class at a time.

💫 Amy’s Favorites: Love is War (Anime TV Series)

Not sponsored. Just my faves.

If you’re not watching Japanese anime, you’re missing out on some of the most inventive storytelling out there. Some of my all-time favorites: Re:Zero, Future Diary, and Death Note — all twisty thrillers with sharp plots and unforgettable character arcs.

My recent obsession? Love is War — a slow-burn romance packed with mind games. It follows two brilliant student council members who are secretly in love with each other, but too proud to admit it. Instead, they scheme and strategize, each trying to get the other to confess first. It’s academic rivalry meets romantic tension, and I can’t get enough.

I’m a sucker for a good “will-they-won’t-they,” and this one absolutely delivers. I’m on season two now and loving how the show balances self-aware humor with tactical one-upmanship — it’s psychologically rich and a total delight.

Pro tip: Love is War takes a few episodes to find its voice, so give it 5–6 episodes (they’re only 20 minutes each!) before deciding if it’s for you.

Enjoyed today’s post? Please give it a “heart” ❤️ and share or restack it.

Sending creativity and good writing vibes your way,

-Amy