Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken (LN) - Volume 20 - Chapter Aft

AFTERWORD

I’m finally done with Volume 20. My aim was not to count on a deadline extension this time, but frankly, I had so many problems that it just wasn’t gonna happen. Slow going, indeed.

To be exact, I fell into a slump. Mentally, I wasn’t motivated to write at all…or, really, I could come up with scenes and everything, but once I began the writing process, I couldn’t focus one bit. That kind of thing. I did have a lot of tasks outside of book writing, it’s true, so my tank was running on empty to start with…but even so, this was the first time I had ever felt so uninspired to write.

With no other choice, I took the last-resort option of changing my writing environment. I was worried about how it’d turn out, but what it ultimately involved was going to Tokyo, staying at a hotel, and livin’ the dream, I guess, while I concentrated on my writing life.

This was my own expense, of course. We were talking about how the publisher would spring for it, but I didn’t want to feel pressured to write even more that way—I thought it’d be a drag. Not being able to write made me uneasy, and I certainly didn’t want to feel even more behind the eight ball, so I turned down the offer and paid for it myself.

Thanks to that, the three-month period of writer’s block came to a surprisingly quick end, and I hit my writing quota every day without a hitch.

I guess your local environment really is important. You need to have a regular schedule and a working rhythm to your writing. I understood this, but it’s hard, you know…so yeah, I’d like to thank the hotel staff for their hospitality. It was such a great time, I didn’t want to go home. My editor I said, “Who says you have to go home?” to me with a straight face, but I’m not so sure that was a joke. In fact, I think my editor was pretty serious about it, so, uh, let’s make sure I’m never put in that situation…

During my stay in Tokyo, I had the opportunity to meet with some other writers, including a few who said they were facing the same slump I was in. This was back when COVID-19 made it hard to even go out for a walk, which I think affected a lot of people’s mental health. I know a lot of folks began working at home as a result, but people like me who don’t have the greatest self-control may likely be experiencing the same kind of issue, to some extent. If that describes you, a change of scenery is really important!

I hope you can take the time to relax and try not to overexert yourself…and hopefully That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime can help give you more peace of mind. I’m gonna continue doing my best, too, as we ramp up for the end of the story.

See you in the next volume!