There are times when some would think that writing would be the last thing on a person's mind.
Picture this: A clogged chest. A dry throat. As you cough, your chest caves in, your itchy throat stretches to its limits, and your body convulses as you release cough after cough. It's so hard to breathe normally. You've lost your voice and are wondering when you'll get it back. The situation is completely unpleasant. Entirely uncomfortable. You wish it would go away. But it doesn't. And the next day is even worse.
That's what I feel. I'm ill at the moment. It's been a few days. But you know what? I still write. On my notebook. At my desktop. In my head. (The latter is known to most authors as one's "think times" when they allow different ideas in their heads and allow those to grow within before writing them on paper or on a word document.)
What I want to share for my first post as a member of the Insecure Writers Support Group is that writing is a process. Those who have been doing this for a long time understand that. It doesn't end just because you're sick, you're physically handicapped or you are nursing a mental illness.
Being an author is lonely. I've heard that a lot of times. There's truth to that. Being physically ill, mentally ill or physically handicapped may also make you feel lonesome. But if you would only remember that you've got so many new ideas waiting for you to give it its birth and rightful place on your notebook or on a word document, you'll see that it's not a lonely life after all. Your ideas can bring you to your characters. Your ideas can lead you to support groups with like-minded individuals. And, most importantly, your ideas can lessen the pains you're having at the moment. And that, my friend, is why I write. :-)
I'll see you next post. Hopefully, by then, I'm feeling a lot better. :-)
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NOTE:
P.S. Forgot to add this. :-)
Thank you so much to Alex J. Cavanaugh and all the members of the Insecure Writers Support Group! It's nice to be in the group. Thank you, too, to the co-hosts for this month: Sheena-kay Graham, Julie Musil, Jamie Ayres, and Mike Swift.
Anyone reading this post may drop by at the links I've provided here so you could read inspirational tips, writing journeys and other information from the other members of the IWSG. So start clicking and start reading. You'll learn a lot from them. Thanks!
17 comments:
Welcome to the IWSG!
That is so true that writers, no matter what comes their way, continue to write, even if there are days where the only 'writing' that happens is the story fermenting in their imaginations.
Hope you feel better soon!
I agree that writing can be a great form of therapy, of making you forget how horrible being sick and stuck in bed actually is. Keep writing and I hope you feel better soon!
Welcome to the IWSG - this is a great group of folks.
I'm sorry you're feeling so icky. I hope you start feeling better soon. I'm the same way, if possible, when I'm not feeling well, I like to write as a distraction from the pain. It really helps.
Elsie
Hope you feel better soon!
I've done a lot of writing in my head over the years. I've kept entire books and storylines memorized backwards and forwards for years in this way. I even carried my second Russian historical in my head for about half of my life, before I finally wrote it.
Welcome to IWSG!! So glad to have you here (not HERE as in at my desk with me while you're all germy!) in spirit. Yes, I've had deadlines when the sound of the keys echoed through my stuffy head like hammers. But we forge on . . . because we're writers. Feel better!
Kirsten, Caffe Maggieato --- Thank you for the warm welcome and the get-well-soon wishes! Appreciate it!
Elsie Amata --- Yeah, writing really helps a lot.
Carrie-Anne --- You've memorized them all? That's so cool! I would write a few notes on my notebook so I could remember them all.
Nancy --- lol! Don't worry, I won't spread the germs there. Thanks for making me laugh! I needed that.
Welcome to the IWSG. Your post helped me, it did. I'm a bit stuck but I am a writer and that's how I deal, I write.
I hope you feel better soon!
Oh, agreed! Sometimes the drive is the strongest when we're kept from our writing. It's an addiction, but a good one, I suppose.
IWSG #298
(Yup. I got culled and had to start all over. *blush*)
PS - Consider turning your blog comment word verification off. You'll get more comments that way. Follow me! I'm CAPTCHA free! :D
I'm new to IWSG too! Yes, it's so true about pushing through with your writing. Sometimes I don't write when I'm sick, but I've learned always to have a notebook nearby, because you never know when inspiration will strike.
Welcome to IWSG. Your post is so inspiring. Writing is such a beautiful life to lead and the loneliness can be eclipsed when we remember the beauty and insight this talent provides.
Soooo true about being lonely. I shut the door and it's me and the blank page. :) Works for and against me. Glad I read your post as the reminder to push through.
Yay for your first IWSG post! Booo for being sick :(
I'm glad you're starting to feel more like your old self, Cates! And I'm glad you continue to write.
I don't mind the alone part of writing at all. That's always been a comfort because my main motive for writing used to be to work out my emotional confusions so I could get a better grip on my life.
Now that I write hoping other people will want to read it, my biggest insecurity is that they might not. Do I know what they will enjoy or find thought provoking or moving? Or am I so far out of the mainstream that no one will be able to identify with what I write?
Do you have those same fears? How do you deal with them?
I really appreciate this post. My life is miserable right now in a number of ways--physically, emotionally--but I do keep writing, not even because I want to, but because, how could I not? My "think time" doesn't switch off if things aren't going well! And in the midst of chaos, I've done some of my best writing in years. Thanks for the reminder to keep going.
Interesting on how this is the first blog post I read (found your blog through the <100 followers page) after signing up for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. I wondered how a post would look. I can even relate to your post in so many ways, but especially because I have a disability.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. It does inspire me to keep writing, no matter how I am feeling!
Hope now that 10 days or so have passed that you're MUCH better ... could it have come all the way from you to me here in South Africa? I have a scratchy throat, slight temperature etc ...
I found you by jumping around on the A-Z 2014 blog challenge ... good luck with it!
http://www.gardenofedenblog.com
To everyone, my apologies for the late response. I’m just at an Internet Café. I can’t stay long here. I just went here to send this and update some things. Seeing your replies made me really happy. Thank you so much for visiting and taking the time to read my first post as a member of the #IWSG!
=== Hello, Gettigan! Thank you! I was thinking what I was going to write for my first post. I just wrote how I felt. I’m happy that you liked the post. It's nice to know that this helped you in a way.
=== Melissa, yes, it's a good addiction. :-)
Thanks for the tip! I turned the word verification off. Thanks!
===Jenni Enzor: Hello, fellow newbie! Truly delighted to meet you. Being in the group is so exciting, right? :-) I still have to work on visiting all the other blogs soon. It’s harder now that my computer is busted and its Internet connection acted up. I’m at an Internet Café now, but there’s a time limit here.
Yes, inspiration hits you when you least expect it. Nice to know that you also keep a notebook nearby to catch ideas as they come.
=== Sheena-kay Graham: Thank you for welcoming me to the group! Your message is so beautifully written. True. We tend to forget the loneliness this path brings us when we focus on its beauty and insight.
=== Marisa Cleveland: Yup, it's a good thing there are groups like this that make us feel that we're part of a family, and that someone understands us.
=== Julie Musil: Thank you for the YAY! :-) It's a viral thing. It's been going around and staying for days. The coughs have subsided a bit. It now only hits me at night before I sleep. But I feel a lot better now.
=== Sue Starlight: Sue! Delighted to see your lovely face! I’m glad you added your photo.
I know it’s hard to face fear and insecurity. But, Sue, I’ve read your work. You have a strong writing voice. I’m pretty sure that there would always be readers for the genre you've chosen.
I have the same fears. We all do. It hits us when we least expect it. What I’ve noticed is that when you don't take action, the more your fear grows. I've written another post for you to help answer this concern. I just wrote it yesterday. It’s a long one for a blog post, but I guess it would do nicely as a short eBook. So, I’ll have it published as such for free. I’m just fixing its cover. You’ll see it in a few days. I hope it will shed some light and offer you the much-needed boost, and also reach others who find themselves in the same situation.
Sending you lots of virtual *HUGS* to make you feel better.
=== JNC: I highly admire you for your strength to continue writing even when the odds are not in your favor. That is true that you produce the best piece during the worst situations. It’s nice to meet you. Your message is very inspiring, too. I tip my hats off to you!
=== Carrie-Anne Foster: Thank you! Truly happy that you found my blog first.
I often get ill nowadays, but the urge to write is stronger than any discomfort or pain. I have a friend who has a disability, too, and she continues to write just like you. Your will to do so is really inspiring. Lovely to meet you.
=== Susan Scott: So sorry to know you're ill. Not sure if you got my illness despite the distance. I hope you feel better soon. They say it's a viral thing that stays for days. Antibiotics didn't kill it. I had all those things that you described. I still cough, but not so much now. Take care. Get well soon.
And thanks for the good luck for the challenge! I'm still not done writing all the posts for that. So excited to join it!
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