Showing posts with label illness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label illness. Show all posts

Friday Speak Out!: Sick? Stop Writing and Rest!

Friday, April 04, 2014
by Rochelle Melander

Being a real writer means being able to do the work on a bad day.—Norman Mailer

I’ve read and shared this quote from Norman Mailer multiple times. He gives good advice: real writers work even when they don’t sleep well, the kids get sick, and the basement floods.

But still, sometimes you’re just too sick to write. Instead of beating up on yourself—I should be making progress on the novel, Stephen King would be writing, I’m such a loser—give yourself a break! Instead of writing, try this:

1. Sleep. Rest helps you to recover faster. At least that’s what my mom used to tell me. Plus the dreams you have when you are sick are wacky and fun. Jot down the best dreams and use them for inspiration next time you have writer’s block.

2. Have a Film Fest. I rarely get a chance to lie in bed and watch movies. This week, I plan to work my way through my Netflix queue. Next time you have a free moment, make  list of everything you’d like to watch. Next time you are sick, tired, or just in need of some inspiration, you’ll be prepared! Sit back and enjoy.

3. Read. I’ve always got a stash of books to read, and that’s what I’m planning to do this week. Keep a stack of books you want to read “someday.” Next time you get sick or snowed in, you’ll be prepared!

4. Take notes. Being sick gives you way too much time to think…and worry! Instead of tormenting yourself, take your journal to bed and jot down your writing ideas.

5. Surf the net. I spend so much time on the computer for work, I rarely have time to seek out great blogs, resources, and other tools for myself and my clients. What do you long to know more about? Make a list of all the information you’d research online if only you had the time. Next time you have the time, you’ll know what to search for!

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Write Now! Coach Rochelle Melander is an author, a certified professional 
coach, and a popular speaker. Melander has written ten books including Write-A-Thon: Write Your Book in 26 Days (And Live to Tell About It). As the Write Now! Coach, she teaches professionals how to write books fast, get published, and connect with readers through social media. Get your free subscription to her Write Now! Tips Ezine at http://www.writenowcoach.com.
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Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!

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Friday Speak Out!: Writing Each Day Keeps The Doctor Away, Guest Post by Kirsten Cliff

Friday, April 22, 2011
Writing Each Day Keeps The Doctor Away

by Kirsten Cliff

I didn’t discover my love of creative writing until I became too ill to work full time. My passion developed when I wrote a cathartic article about my chronic illness for a competition that I subsequently won.

I have always loved reading, apart from when textbooks bogged me down at university, but hadn’t thought about writing creatively myself. My experience included writing scholarly essays, recording meeting minutes, keeping a journal, and penning random poems as a teenager. I’d never noticed before, the instant gratification writing brought me.

Writing is how I experience and process the world, it allows me to stay connected to my spirit, and I soon realised its health benefits. It’s a bonus if someone else likes a piece I’ve written too, wants to publish it and, most exciting of all, wants to pay me for it. But the writing, the creating, the outpouring is the main event for me.

Being focused on an activity that brings me true joy helps me to forget my physical pain, if only briefly. Writing helps me to live in the moment; distracting me from the stress and isolation of chronic illness. Practising this craft helps me feel I have achieved something worthwhile and is a way of contributing to society. It has facilitated my involvement in the community through local writing and poetry groups, a social and inspiring avenue, which has been vital to my well-being.

I also do other arts and crafts projects, like photography and collage work, but I find writing is the best creative outlet for me. It’s inexpensive and I can do it anywhere. I found myself at the beach recently with a pen on my key ring but no paper. I ended up writing a few short notes on my used popsicle stick.

And being creative in this way doesn’t tax me as other crafts do. If I get tired typing or looking at a computer screen, I can write by hand; if too fatigued or in pain for that, I record my thoughts on tape.

Research shows that a 15-minute daily writing practice alleviates stress and boosts the functioning of the immune system. Of course, for some of us, writing itself can cause us stress.

But why not have a go yourself? Journaling is a great way to start. Try writing down all the thoughts swimming around in your head that stop you from getting to sleep at night.

You may thank me in the morning.

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Kirsten Cliff currently spends her days creating a collection of haiga (haiku poems with images) to help her mentally and spiritually process her recent journey through leukaemia. Her haiku have been published in journals and anthologies, and placed in competitions, in both New Zealand and overseas. Kirsten lives with her fiancé (also a writer and poet) in a house dedicated to writing, “Wordsmith House”, in Papamoa, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. Kirsten 'blogs' at http://kirstencliffwrites.blogspot.com/ or you can visit her website at http://kirstencliff.110mb.com/ .

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Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!

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Read More »
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