I discussed some aspects of this in my newsletter, but I wanted to write a more accessible post specifically for writers that struggle with invisible illness, or anyone that does and has a creative hobby of some kind.

There are days that my body just will not allow me to sit up long enough to type, to use my hands for a prolonged period of time, or even see clearly enough to work on a project. All of those things are affected by my invisible physical illnesses. Also from those physical illnesses, I struggle to concentrate, be imaginative, distract myself from my pain or other symptoms, and sometimes have brain fog that prevents me from keeping track of my own thoughts. I also experience severe fatigue some days that keeps me asleep most of the day.

From mental illness, just another kind of invisible illness, I often experience anxiety about my projects. Anxiety can act as a paralytic that prevents me from making progress. I can also become too depressed to focus on creative projects – or anything other than surviving the day. Some days, my thoughts are racing or scattered and not easy to organize enough to get anything done. These also come with an element of fatigue as they can trigger hypersomnia or insomnia.

Most writing advice centers around creating a daily practice. In fact, most advice about building a business or career will involve elements of doing things every single day to further your mission or your success.

That’s just not going to happen for me or other people in my position. That does not, under any circumstances, make our work less valuable, less important, or less worthy of success. That does not mean that we need to give up on that dream and quit. It certainly doesn’t mean that we don’t deserve for our work to be out in the world and hopefully well-received.

There are some hacks that you can use to help grow and maintain your following while you languish in bed or you devote your limited energy to working on your actual project. There is no substitution for your unique mind working on your unique story, idea, or other venture.

The first thing I recommend is finding what works for you on days that you are well enough to work on your passion. Find a comfortable place, a comfortable position. If typing on a laptop keyboard aggravates your hands, perhaps you need an ergonomic keyboard. If you have arthritis but you love to knit or crochet, perhaps you need to get a pillow under your forearms and get some chunky grips to slip onto your needles or hooks so you can hold them more comfortably.

Next, I’d recommend trying to identify what is most realistic as far as a general, flexible schedule goes to accomplish your goals. I need to make one single daily goal and I will get that goal done whenever I feel well enough throughout that day. Perhaps you need a weekly goal, or a monthly goal. Perhaps you feel best in the mornings fairly consistently and want to plan on working 3-4 mornings per week. Whatever you decide to do, make sure it’s realistic for your limitations, pain, and discomfort, and that it’s flexible enough that if you’re not doing well one day, you can simply rearrange things so you’re doing what you’re able to today and getting to your art again when you’re better.

Finally, truly accept that you are ill.

Don’t set publishing deadlines until you are confident that you can meet that deadline no matter how many sick or high pain days arise between now and then. The stress and/or anxiety associated with coming up on a deadline you’re unsure you can meet is a great way to trigger a symptom flare-up but not a great way to accomplish goals.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help managing some household or everyday tasks occasionally so you can focus on your passion. It is important to our well-being that we have the time to do things that we love. Ideally, our loved ones will be supportive. That’s not always the case, though.

Give yourself flexibility. I know I had to try a lot of things before I came up with my current system and it’s not even as effective as I’d like it to be. The key is to just keep trying stuff until you find things that work for you right now. That doesn’t mean they’ll work forever, but working now is much better than not working now.

Don’t be ashamed to accommodate yourself. You have no idea what kind of ridiculous things I’ve had to do to make progress, like being buried under a pile of blankets atop a pile of pillows with even more pillows raising my keyboard up so I could comfortably type. I have sat at my laptop working with sunglasses on because the light hurts my eyes and sometimes can trigger migraines or worsen existing ones. I’ve worked on finalizing things in my manuscript on my phone that I later reviewed on my laptop because I was just too ill to sit up. Things happen.

Be prepared to give yourself a lot of grace, because there are always going to be days that we plan on doing things and our bodies or minds just say no and we’ve got to accept that. I like to feel that disappointment while being mindful that I’m not beating myself up, because that’s a great way to worsen physical and mental health problems.

In summary, while standard advice may not work for those of us with invisible, chronic illness, that doesn’t mean that nothing does or will, or that it’s not worth even trying. A chapter a month would mean your novel was done in about 3 years, your novella was done in about a year to two years. A poem a week is still 52 poems, and if 30 or so are awesome, that’s a collection you can publish. That mindset applies well to other forms of art as well.

A little consistent progress will eventually add up. No progress because we feel defeated will get us nowhere. Don’t give up on what you love.

Still, I Rise, my poetry collection filled with my most relatable unhappy moments living with these illnesses and my most uplifting and hopeful messages about getting through this life, is coming July 21st.

Evil Never Dies, my horror poetry collection featuring all kinds of disturbing things, is coming this September.

My first novella is coming in January.

You can read more about all of them on my upcoming works page.