I feel this in my bones. My chronic pain, illness well, and grief have shifted the way I write. I had to realize that my brain and body are unreliable. And that's okay. I am a traditional and indie author, and those days shredded me. It was so much pressure. Now, I write what makes me happy without expectations or deadlines. When my neuropathy flares in my hands and fingers, I voice-write and then later edit when my fingers aren't tantruming. I am thankful for the tools that exist that can help me when I am not fully able to write.
Thankyou Madeleine, I find this a relief to read. I have 2 obligations each week, a painting class and a yoga class. But at the moment I'm not fit for either. My body is just not working but getting alarmingly weaker. I am an artist, desperate to paint, full of ideas. I have ADHD, I hyper focus but have persuaded myself that I have more than anything to hyper focus on moderation and my body signals. As a painter, showing up is often not the physical act of painting, but reflection, rumination, adjustment. I also write a little, and make textiles. The same consideration time is necessary in those creative processes.
Seems to me we live our lives at a snails pace, but the perspective is equally valid.
I’m so sorry to hear you aren’t fit for the yoga and painting classes. They must give such joy. And yes, we do indeed live our lives at a snail’s pace, and yes our perspective is incredibly valid and important. Thank you for sharing your experiences 🌸
Cannot do deadlines! Im not sure how id work with a publisher with deadlines. My work comes out when it comes out. It happens in flow. Flow heals me so I receive a double whammy. It means the action guide & journal I created the first draft of 3.5 years ago is only just about to reach editing stage.
And writing everyday - whilst I I journaled daily about 4 years in, maybe for a couple of years, I was writing once or twice a week before that. Now I’ve created my journal out of it for others so once or twice a week (as the body and capacity permits) will always be more than enough.
I know I couldn’t sit and write a memoir on the daily, there’s no way it would work like that. And I’ve recently heard of a super successful author who wrote her latest book, unravelling, one paragraph at a time.
Whilst I appreciate and get a lot from morning pages, I do them very sporadically. It’s not one that has become any kind of regular practice for me.
I do love to hear about how you are tuning into your own body, needs, capacity and possibility.
I will miss you, as I always do when you’re taking a break from here. See you on the other side👋🏻
Congrats on the action guide and journal! It’s amazing how we make stuff happen even though we don’t follow rules. Thank you for sharing your experiences and process!
I too have ditched the morning pages style of writing - I cannot write for that long, my hands and wrists are in too much pain. I tried doing an online version where you write 750 words a day (the same amount as you would if you wrote the morning pages) but I kept missing days and feeling frustrated I had broken my 'streak' of writing. Now I keep a paper journal and a google doc journal that I add to as and when I have the energy and brain function and it helps me to figure out poems, how life is treating me, and what I have been up to, as well as helping me keep up with writing so I can one day write my memoir as per my dream. I actually find writing this way helps me keep my creativtity alive, not being tied to rules is so much more freeing, and I have always been more of a rule breaker anyway!!😊
Omg YES to your point about the gratitude list. I sometimes start a daily practice of this and then it fizzles out in a week or two because things don’t change that much in the lives of spoonies. I’ve also never been able to stick to morning pages or a daily writing practice. I have to write when the mood and spoons strike.
I also edit somewhat as I go, and I agree that this is a necessary break in concentration for me. But I also value saving my work and coming back to it with a fresh skull. I edit a lot that way too and I like the temporary distance it provides. I often find I didn’t strike quite the right tone or get the wording where I wanted it to be after the first pass/edits.
Enjoyed this post very much! Get some good rest and we’ll see you soon 🌼
I can’t wait to hear your news! Also I think it’s great you’re taking the break you need. I’m struggling big time with that. I feel the pressure to put out an article every week but spring is the worst time for my mast cells and my body is just not cooperating. I’ve actually been debating writing an article about how we’re too hard on ourselves when we need to “tap out”. So glad you’re doing what you need to do!
I can’t wait to tell you about my news! It’s so heart-breaking for me to take breaks but it’s necessary for my health and if I want to keep going in the long run. I hope you find a way to take the breaks you need ❤️🌸
Writing every day is a challenge - fortunately, my long covid has recovered now to the point where I don’t have significant chronic fatigue anymore, but I suspect it had long-term impacts on my adhd executive function, which affects every aspect of my writing life. I focus now on productive writing days a couple days a week and the other days on taking care of household stuff, health, admin etc. it works for me.
I’m so glad to hear you don’t have significant chronic fatigue anymore! Although I’m sorry to hear about the long-term impact on adhd. Thank you for sharing your process 🌸
Hell yeah to ALL of this. I've been a professional writer since I was 14 (I know, obnoxious) and a copywriter for nearly 20 years. These are my writing rules too! I pride myself on "never missing a deadline"...because I set them so far out they're not really meaningful.
These were my jam pre-serious-sickness (yes, I'm a professional writer who doesn't write every day!), but the one that's arisen from sickness is: ship sooner. Done is better than perfect. It's been really, really hard to implement. I will catlick a post to 600 subscribers like it's Hemingway or something. GIRL. I'm trying to make myself stop.
Thank you for the imagery of cat licking my writing/intellectual work, it is actually going to be so helpful because I have this same brand of perfectionism trying to rout out!
I gave up most writing rules years ago. I write when I have an idea, am in the mood, and can physically handle it. I do make myself feel guilty if I feel like I am not doing it enough, and I know I shouldn't do that to myself, either.
I agree with others, the big one I ditched is writing every day. I heard so many famous, successful authors say working every day was the only way to write. I only have the energy to write on the days I don’t do my day job. And that’s ok.
I also refuse to wake up an hour earlier to write like so many authors do. My rest is too important to me.
I do morning pages but not until after breakfast and tea.
I find that I need to write every day for regulation, but trying the “write every day” rules always burned me out and made things *worse*. So I sat down and puzzled out what aspect is most regulating, and for me that’s creating something new. Editing doesn’t work; ruminating helps but isn’t enough; and I too find that activities like morning pages quickly turn into soul-draining slop.
With that clarity in hand I flipped my goal - rather than write at *least* 500 words a day, I use a prompt website and write a microfic of at *most* 500 words. Minimal research, minimal editing. I sit down with my first cup of tea, read today’s prompt, let it stew until something bobs up, and put down what I have. Quick proofreading pass and publish.
Some have turned into lil serials where I basically write a short story over three-four days. Some have been way under 500 words because that’s all the brain I had/the story stuttered out early. It all counts.
At some point I hope to go back through and tidy them up for an ebook or something… but that will be a Proper Project and needs to be budgeted for accordingly. For now they’re just sketch exercises.
And it’s working for me! I don’t say that because I’m writing every day, but because it’s FUN. Even when I’m tired. Even when the brain fog is bad. Even when I write my microfic and immediately crawl back into bed. Doing that super low-stakes creating is still fun and I’m always glad I did. To me that’s a successful habit.
It was such a breakthrough for me! I hope it can help people.
Oh, another aspect I forgot to mention - on a good day it acts as a warmup; putting me in the writing headspace, giving me a boost because I’ve already completed something, and letting me feel out what kind of capacity I have today. This lets me pivot to other writing projects with purpose and momentum, whereas before often I’d open up a big project and feel lost as to what to tackle, so spend ages just staring helplessly at it. Now I go “writing is easy right now, I’ll tackle that next scene I’ve planned” or “the writing was a struggle but coming up with the setting was easy, so let’s do some worldbuilding”, etc.
Then when I’m in a flare, the microfic is its own writing practice and I don’t try to springboard from it. I just enjoy the process and feel happy that I wrote a story. Often it’s writing the microfic where I go “Ah, low capacity today. I should pivot to *resting*.” And it feels so much better to decide that after *finishing* something, no matter how small, rather than because I tried to start something big and found myself smacking headlong into a wall!
So if people are trying to create their own “reverse rules”, maybe look into warmups rather than rules? The creative equivalent of stretching before exercise. Something small and easy which gives you benefit on its own, lets you check in with your capacity, and *if* you’re able to pivot to something bigger gives you momentum and direction to tackle that bigger goal.
I feel this in my bones. My chronic pain, illness well, and grief have shifted the way I write. I had to realize that my brain and body are unreliable. And that's okay. I am a traditional and indie author, and those days shredded me. It was so much pressure. Now, I write what makes me happy without expectations or deadlines. When my neuropathy flares in my hands and fingers, I voice-write and then later edit when my fingers aren't tantruming. I am thankful for the tools that exist that can help me when I am not fully able to write.
Someone I know wrote her entire book using voice-writing, I’m so glad it helps you on some days.
I love that.
I am working on a new book and that is what I have done 80% of it. I don’t get as frustrated when my fingers and hands go all gremlin.
Thankyou Madeleine, I find this a relief to read. I have 2 obligations each week, a painting class and a yoga class. But at the moment I'm not fit for either. My body is just not working but getting alarmingly weaker. I am an artist, desperate to paint, full of ideas. I have ADHD, I hyper focus but have persuaded myself that I have more than anything to hyper focus on moderation and my body signals. As a painter, showing up is often not the physical act of painting, but reflection, rumination, adjustment. I also write a little, and make textiles. The same consideration time is necessary in those creative processes.
Seems to me we live our lives at a snails pace, but the perspective is equally valid.
I’m so sorry to hear you aren’t fit for the yoga and painting classes. They must give such joy. And yes, we do indeed live our lives at a snail’s pace, and yes our perspective is incredibly valid and important. Thank you for sharing your experiences 🌸
Cannot do deadlines! Im not sure how id work with a publisher with deadlines. My work comes out when it comes out. It happens in flow. Flow heals me so I receive a double whammy. It means the action guide & journal I created the first draft of 3.5 years ago is only just about to reach editing stage.
And writing everyday - whilst I I journaled daily about 4 years in, maybe for a couple of years, I was writing once or twice a week before that. Now I’ve created my journal out of it for others so once or twice a week (as the body and capacity permits) will always be more than enough.
I know I couldn’t sit and write a memoir on the daily, there’s no way it would work like that. And I’ve recently heard of a super successful author who wrote her latest book, unravelling, one paragraph at a time.
Whilst I appreciate and get a lot from morning pages, I do them very sporadically. It’s not one that has become any kind of regular practice for me.
I do love to hear about how you are tuning into your own body, needs, capacity and possibility.
I will miss you, as I always do when you’re taking a break from here. See you on the other side👋🏻
Congrats on the action guide and journal! It’s amazing how we make stuff happen even though we don’t follow rules. Thank you for sharing your experiences and process!
I too have ditched the morning pages style of writing - I cannot write for that long, my hands and wrists are in too much pain. I tried doing an online version where you write 750 words a day (the same amount as you would if you wrote the morning pages) but I kept missing days and feeling frustrated I had broken my 'streak' of writing. Now I keep a paper journal and a google doc journal that I add to as and when I have the energy and brain function and it helps me to figure out poems, how life is treating me, and what I have been up to, as well as helping me keep up with writing so I can one day write my memoir as per my dream. I actually find writing this way helps me keep my creativtity alive, not being tied to rules is so much more freeing, and I have always been more of a rule breaker anyway!!😊
I do the exact same thing having a journal and google doc ready for any random sparks of creativity my brain may have. Thank you for sharing 🌸
I just learned about morning pages yesterday and my arm cramped just thinking about it.
Omg YES to your point about the gratitude list. I sometimes start a daily practice of this and then it fizzles out in a week or two because things don’t change that much in the lives of spoonies. I’ve also never been able to stick to morning pages or a daily writing practice. I have to write when the mood and spoons strike.
I also edit somewhat as I go, and I agree that this is a necessary break in concentration for me. But I also value saving my work and coming back to it with a fresh skull. I edit a lot that way too and I like the temporary distance it provides. I often find I didn’t strike quite the right tone or get the wording where I wanted it to be after the first pass/edits.
Enjoyed this post very much! Get some good rest and we’ll see you soon 🌼
Sounds like we have similar processes! ❤️🌸
I can’t wait to hear your news! Also I think it’s great you’re taking the break you need. I’m struggling big time with that. I feel the pressure to put out an article every week but spring is the worst time for my mast cells and my body is just not cooperating. I’ve actually been debating writing an article about how we’re too hard on ourselves when we need to “tap out”. So glad you’re doing what you need to do!
I can’t wait to tell you about my news! It’s so heart-breaking for me to take breaks but it’s necessary for my health and if I want to keep going in the long run. I hope you find a way to take the breaks you need ❤️🌸
Writing every day is a challenge - fortunately, my long covid has recovered now to the point where I don’t have significant chronic fatigue anymore, but I suspect it had long-term impacts on my adhd executive function, which affects every aspect of my writing life. I focus now on productive writing days a couple days a week and the other days on taking care of household stuff, health, admin etc. it works for me.
I’m so glad to hear you don’t have significant chronic fatigue anymore! Although I’m sorry to hear about the long-term impact on adhd. Thank you for sharing your process 🌸
Hell yeah to ALL of this. I've been a professional writer since I was 14 (I know, obnoxious) and a copywriter for nearly 20 years. These are my writing rules too! I pride myself on "never missing a deadline"...because I set them so far out they're not really meaningful.
These were my jam pre-serious-sickness (yes, I'm a professional writer who doesn't write every day!), but the one that's arisen from sickness is: ship sooner. Done is better than perfect. It's been really, really hard to implement. I will catlick a post to 600 subscribers like it's Hemingway or something. GIRL. I'm trying to make myself stop.
😂 I love your deadline method!
Thank you for the imagery of cat licking my writing/intellectual work, it is actually going to be so helpful because I have this same brand of perfectionism trying to rout out!
I gave up most writing rules years ago. I write when I have an idea, am in the mood, and can physically handle it. I do make myself feel guilty if I feel like I am not doing it enough, and I know I shouldn't do that to myself, either.
Oh that guilt! I so feel it too.
I agree with others, the big one I ditched is writing every day. I heard so many famous, successful authors say working every day was the only way to write. I only have the energy to write on the days I don’t do my day job. And that’s ok.
I also refuse to wake up an hour earlier to write like so many authors do. My rest is too important to me.
I do morning pages but not until after breakfast and tea.
Oh yeah, the waking up earlier thing… a big no no for me!
I find that I need to write every day for regulation, but trying the “write every day” rules always burned me out and made things *worse*. So I sat down and puzzled out what aspect is most regulating, and for me that’s creating something new. Editing doesn’t work; ruminating helps but isn’t enough; and I too find that activities like morning pages quickly turn into soul-draining slop.
With that clarity in hand I flipped my goal - rather than write at *least* 500 words a day, I use a prompt website and write a microfic of at *most* 500 words. Minimal research, minimal editing. I sit down with my first cup of tea, read today’s prompt, let it stew until something bobs up, and put down what I have. Quick proofreading pass and publish.
Some have turned into lil serials where I basically write a short story over three-four days. Some have been way under 500 words because that’s all the brain I had/the story stuttered out early. It all counts.
At some point I hope to go back through and tidy them up for an ebook or something… but that will be a Proper Project and needs to be budgeted for accordingly. For now they’re just sketch exercises.
And it’s working for me! I don’t say that because I’m writing every day, but because it’s FUN. Even when I’m tired. Even when the brain fog is bad. Even when I write my microfic and immediately crawl back into bed. Doing that super low-stakes creating is still fun and I’m always glad I did. To me that’s a successful habit.
Oh I love this! I like how you ‘re-direct’ the rules and make them non-rules. Thank you for sharing your process!
It was such a breakthrough for me! I hope it can help people.
Oh, another aspect I forgot to mention - on a good day it acts as a warmup; putting me in the writing headspace, giving me a boost because I’ve already completed something, and letting me feel out what kind of capacity I have today. This lets me pivot to other writing projects with purpose and momentum, whereas before often I’d open up a big project and feel lost as to what to tackle, so spend ages just staring helplessly at it. Now I go “writing is easy right now, I’ll tackle that next scene I’ve planned” or “the writing was a struggle but coming up with the setting was easy, so let’s do some worldbuilding”, etc.
Then when I’m in a flare, the microfic is its own writing practice and I don’t try to springboard from it. I just enjoy the process and feel happy that I wrote a story. Often it’s writing the microfic where I go “Ah, low capacity today. I should pivot to *resting*.” And it feels so much better to decide that after *finishing* something, no matter how small, rather than because I tried to start something big and found myself smacking headlong into a wall!
So if people are trying to create their own “reverse rules”, maybe look into warmups rather than rules? The creative equivalent of stretching before exercise. Something small and easy which gives you benefit on its own, lets you check in with your capacity, and *if* you’re able to pivot to something bigger gives you momentum and direction to tackle that bigger goal.
And ignore the “go for a run everyday” people.
I love this idea of warmups!