Still A Real Writer: Struggling With Limitations

On Tuesday last week, I injured myself rather severely.  I fell, spraining both hands and my foot.  My doctor told me to avoid moving my hands or putting any weight on my foot for three days to allow the sprains to begin to heal properly.

I spent Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday in one of the most excruciatingly difficult positions.  Everything I would ordinarily do to occupy and entertain myself: typing, drawing, puzzles, cross-stitch, all of them require my hands.  Luckily, I had sent off my final edits for Deadly Potential to Soul Mate Publishing before this happened.

Even scrolling through Twitter on my phone was overwhelmingly painful.  I tried using the dictation software to write a few replies, but it was frustratingly difficult.

The problem with hand-held devices is that you have to HOLD them in your HANDS!

As I was scrolling, I saw a piece of writing advice that often gets trotted out: Real writers write every day, they have no other choice.

That advice is garbage, but it is particularly hurtful to those suffering from chronic health conditions, injuries, or who have other responsibilities, such as family, earning an income, or other challenges.

I didn't write for three days.  That doesn't make me suddenly less of a "real writer" or a bad writer.  Very few authors can manage to write on a daily basis.  For those that can, I think they should be celebrated.  But those who can't should never be made to feel less than.

I'm going to be several weeks recovering from this injury.  And if I want to actually recover, I will need to listen to my body and respect the pain warning me that something is wrong.  It will be a challenge, because I strongly internalized the message that there are no excuses for not getting work done.  That illness and injury are things that willpower can and should overcome.

That level of expectation is harmful, even in the best of circumstances.  In a case like my current one, it could delay or even eliminate my chance to recover completely.

So I'm going to be quiet for the next few weeks.  But I'm still going to be a real writer, regardless of how many words I put on the page.

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