Yes, many writers struggle with mental illness. And no it’s not charming or helpful for our work.
Writers are often stereotyped to be, at the very least, depressed. And (I’m not kidding) there are people who openly say artists HAVE to be mentally ill to create good art. And do you want to know what I think?? mY FULL OPINION IS: NO.
Writing while being mentally ill is hard. It’s not a lot of fun and often it makes us quit, or lose opportunities, or not enjoy something we truly love because it’s such a fight to keep it up. You need support. You don’t need to be stigmatised or told you’re “broken” or told your work is more valuable if you’re struggling or sick.
I have been diagnosed with social/general anxiety and depression. I don’t say much about it online, but sometimes I want to mention it, because it’s helpful to know you’re not alone. We writers tend to look at other’s work and think, “Yeah they have it together and I never will.” Haha h HAH AH HAHA. No, my friend. I am just a constant silent scream.
So SHOUT OUT TO YOU. I think you’re doing great. And if I may share some things that have helped me…
Tips To Help You Keep Writing If You Have A Mental Illness
…Make Visual Reminders Of The Good Things
For me personally, my brain likes to delete everything good that ever happens. This sucks, but I don’t think it’s fully our fault. So I collect good things. Nice comments about my work. Tweets of people flailing. A really super epic thing my agent said. A beta reader’s comment.
Print them. Stick them to your wall. Put them in a folder on your laptop. DO IT.
This is not narcissistic. And I was about to say “this is not pride”…but actually: BE PROUD.
Recently I had an excruciating round of edits. I ended up with 7 pages of edit notes and this insurmountable dread that I couldn’t do this. I must’ve failed so so bad for my book to need this much work, right??? Well, for starters: no, brain! No! Making something better doesn’t always mean the last version was trash. But that aside, what I did was: I picked out the comments on my edits that were super encouraging and I enlarged them, printed them, put them on my wall.
I have a note that says “Your writing is brilliant here” —> That is the comment I look at when I’m feeling like a pile of stale crumbs.
…PACE YOURSELF WHEN IT COMES TO CRITIQUES.
Um, yeah, you still need critiques. You are not going to be a great writer until you get them. (TRUST ME.) Now you already know your brain is going to buckle when you get told what sucks, so pace yourself! Actually prep your brain with coping mechanisms!
Keep these in mind:
☆ don’t get TOO many opinions all at once
☆ you will overwhelm yourself and then turn into a potato and fall into a muddy paddock and ne’er return
☆ 2-3 critique partners/betas is a good idea (I like to have 1 who’ll fangirl + 1 who’ll be tough….balance!)
☆ do not work on critiques the second you get them back!! leave it a few days, a few weeks! mull on them!
☆ be teachable, because you seriously didn’t get it perfect on the first try
☆ NO ONE GETS IT PERFECT. YOU’RE NOT A FAILURE
☆ look at critiques as an opportunity to spend more time with your favourite characters
☆ eat between 2 or 9 cakes
…YOU DON’T HAVE TO WRITE ABOUT YOUR MENTAL ILLNESS.
While I do love the #ownvoices movement, I think it brings this expectation to write your own experiences. You do not have to if you don’t want to. There is a need for your voice, your story, your experience on the topic! Of course! But you are actually free as an artist to art about whatever you heckin’ want.
I almost always write anxious characters. But the first time I decided to address anxiety with a label and treatment? My 27th writing project.
Writing your experiences can be (a) triggering and send you backwards, (b) exhausting, and (c) a lot of pressure. So you don’t owe anyone your experience, but do share it if you want to!
…WRITING IS HARD FOR EVERYONE.
I have seen people say “No one will publish me because I have X illness.” And look…there are awful agents out there and narrow-minded publishers. Good writing and good authors get snubbed because they’re “too different”. Not denying. It’s not fair and it’s not right either. People gatekeep and diverse authors and books are often turned away because “oh we already have one of those”. (As if every book is the same?!)
But also: Writing is hard for everyone. I mean really hard. I’ve thought of my atypical brain as a reason I haven’t gotten an opportunity. (My first book didn’t sell. It got thoroughly trunked. A Thousand Perfect Notes is the 16th book I wrote and my 2nd attempt at getting published.) But I do think. more often than not, mentally ill authors have the same fails other authors do: bad timing and our writing needing to get better.
There’s a difference between “no one gets my writing” and “my writing needs to get better.”
The point is: when your brain says “this is too hard because of who we are” = your reply is needs to be refusal. You’ve got this.
…DON’T FOLLOW SOMEONE ELSE’S SCHEDULE.
There is always that feeling that you have to do “this and then this” to be a writer. I can thoroughly promise that you don’t. Don’t let someone tell you that you have to write every day or use this-and-this writing program or plot with the snowflake-method, etc. etc. Try a ton of methods and skip what you hate.
Do you need to write 500 words and lie down? DO IT. Do you need to write 200 words at a time? THAT’S FINE! Does it take you a year to finish a draft? AT LEAST YOU FINISHED IT!
There are so many ways to get to your goal.
…DON’T QUIT. TAKE A BREAK.
I see so many writers say “I can’t do this anymore I quit.” When what they really need is a break. A decent break. I have been one of these writers, don’t worry! I stopped writing for about 6 months. Then I went back because ohhhh look at that…I just needed time off. Maybe it takes you longer if you’re struggling with overload and overwhelm, but give yourself that grace.
So before you get to “I quit”, try:
☆ taking a break!
☆ don’t write or think about writing for at least a month
☆ refill your creative tank
☆ if you need time off??? you take it. you don’t have to do everything all at once
☆ what if you ate a lot of waffles. I’m not saying it’s the cure but I’m not saying it isn’t…
☆ no one should be working all the time
☆ if you still “need” to be working or you panic (I get that!) then try doing something else: plot a new fun story, listen to some different music, write “bloopers” into your story (these are fun!!) or switch up your writing routine
☆ get someone to flail over your characters. 10/10 this helps
☆ raise a kraken as your son
…THE BEST WAYS TO GET BETTER ARE BY READING AND WRITING.
This is my #1 advice for any writer at any time. Write tons of books. It doesn’t matter if some are hellishly ugly. Write more and more. You get better by practising. I know this feels like an insurmountable request at times (mental illness often comes with feeling so exhausted from just trying to live) so remember no one is asking you to write a million words today. Or even tomorrow.
But don’t throw it because it’s not working. EVERY writer needs to practise.
SHOUT THESE AT YOURSELF EVERY TIME YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CAN’T DO THIS
- you don’t have to write EXACTLY LIKE YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHOR to be considered “good”
- just because it’s not good now, doesn’t mean it won’t ever be
- yes your brain will self-sabotage and yes you might be physically incapable of writing for a while…but you can still do this. Even if it’s not right this minute.
- it actually doesn’t matter how long it takes you to achieve your goal
- holding your own book is 5000000% better than you even can imagine. THINK ABOUT THAT. YOU CAN GET TO THIS.
- the internet shows you a lot of success stories but I guarantee those authors bled and wept too
- a ton of your favourite authors are also struggle with mental health! These authors are open about their journeys with mental illness online: VE Schwab and Katrina Leno have anxiety, Maggie Stiefvater and Adam Silvera and John Green have OCD, and Patrick Ness has depression/anxiety.
- remember to love writing (I know that’s hard) but sometimes it’s actually the perfect escape from your own spiralling thinking to some place where you can control the adventure
- your story IS important!! no one can tell it like you can.
- you got this because you’re kind of made of magic
don’t feel pressured to share your mental health struggles if you don’t want to! but if you do…feel free to add your tips in the comments! what keeps you writing? do you write about your mental illness or do you prefer not to?
I’ve been diagnosed with severe anxiety (severe, see, I’m special!) and selective mutism. I don’t understand AT ALL why someone would think your work would be better if you have a mental illness, I mean… logic! That exists! Fun! The only way that would improve is for own voices and the rep can be completely on point, but a lot of authors feel uncomfortable about that (I don’t blame them) and then it doesn’t have any positives it’s just like “HEY THERE, IM GONNA MAKE YOUR LIFE HARD NOW!”
Almost all the characters I plan and start to write have a mental illness and I think that’s because my favourite thing about books is when a character seems to understand you, when you’re in a minority. Books with all white, straight and mentally stable characters generally are bad. *shrugs*
My anxiety makes me always think all the ideas for the books I wanna write are bad and I never get far into them. I really like your tricks and am going to try and keep more positive now. Thanks!
Exactly! I think people get scared fo things like mental illness (like “ooh we can’t see it so let’s make assumptions”) and it can be really harmful. Not to mention frustrating. Sure being mentally ill DOES affect our work and influence our perspective, but our worth as artists isn’t tied to it?? And I do think people writing mental illness badly is NOT helping. (I’ve read a book where the girl could literally just “decide” not to be anxious. Wowwww if only it worked like that.😭)
And I do prefer it when books are diverse too!! I don’t think I ever intentionally pick up non-diverse books now. 😂
(I also have to remind myself to stay positive and not immediately scrap my ideas.🙈)
First off, I wanted to say that I appreciate the increasing presence of kraken on your blog, I think that they are friends with the dragons. I haven’t been diagnosed with anything, and I don’t have any consistent mental illness, and I’m not going to self diagnose or anything, but I do have anxious tendencies, which don’t really limit me doing things. I fluctuate a lot on my writing though. I really try to avoid false modesty, so if I’m proud of something, I like to say that! but then I always so so worried that liking the writing I’m doing now means that I’m not teachable, I’ll never get any better, I’ve already peaked etc… it’s ridiculous. and I also worry a lot that I’m too pretentious or vain.
Thanks so much for talking about this! If you don’t mind me asking (feel free not to answer, I’m just curious), did having a diagnosis for your mintal illnesses change your writing in anyway
I am just going ALL for the kraken at the moment. They don’t get enough love and they deserve it.
And totally understand having anxious tendencies while maybe not quite having anxiety. (I feel like having anxious episodes is very common? But having like an actual disorder can be different…although they come and go! Anxiety is fickle. *glares sullenly at it*) And omg I worry about those things too. 😭 Like actually KNOWING the difference between “my writing is good” vs someone giving you feedback that’s just subjective and doesn’t really fit with your vision???
(And no being diagnosed didn’t do anything haha. Just confirmed what I’d known for YEARS. I got officially diagnosed at about 21 but I’d known since I was at least 14.)
i was unbelievably anxious to send out the first few chapters of my novel to friends/people who wnated to critique about last week and I had been building it up in my head, ever since I finished the first draft, that everyone’s gonna hate my novel and I can never have beta’s – all those wonderful thoughts. But then, I did, I DID THE THING, and it wasn’t that bad!? I got loads of GREAT feedback and when I started improving it, I felt even BETTER about my work and just, WHY WERE SO YOU ANXIOUS ILSA.
I find when I’m depressed, I write a lot of great things (not saying that you have to be mentally ill to have good art!! just for me it gets me in this very dramatic and eerie writing style?!) and it kinda all just flows out of me, writing is a really great distraction when I’m feeling like that, or just in general.
a wonderful post <3
GO YOU ILSA!! THAT IS A HUGE STEP AND IT’S AWESOME YOU WENT FOR IT!! I don’t think it ever fully gets easy to put yourself and your work out there?! And like even now I have total brain collapses over feedback sometimes. 😭😭 But it’s worth it too! Like you get better and you see your story from different angles and ahhhh. Also having someone say they like what you write –> NEVER GETS OLD.
And agreed, I do think struggling with mental illness CAN add to our stories. Like I wrote something that I really really love during a bad time. But it’s not the ONLY time I can create and I think we writers need to remember that!!
Okay, tears in my eyes while reading this. It must be so hard talking about such a personal part of you so thanks for sharing it to us.
I’m not an author but blogging is writing too, right? I’m not diagnosed with anything but I am a worrier. I tend to overthink a lot which sometimes lead to self-doubt. Writing about my self-doubt in my blog sometimes help because of all the love and support I get from the reading community in the comments. Maybe I should try your visual reminder technique and print out the nice comments that boosted my self-confidence.
Again, thank you for this post. 🙂
Aww thank you for reading!💛And I admit I always get super nervous posting things like this! But it’s important to talk about?! And I’m so glad it’s being helpful for a lot of people.💛
Blogging IS writing for sure! And reminding ourselves that we’re doing great is really really helpful and motivating to keep on!!
Thank you so much for this post!! I don’t have a mental illness, but I *do* have large amounts of stress/panic/anxiety when it comes to writing. It’s sort of like a pressure cooker. Or an almost-not-dormant-anymore volcano. But anyway, thanks for this post – love the perspective and the lists of advice 🙂
Totally understandable!! And I’m glad this post can just be helpful writing tips in general too.💛💛
HAIL SUNNY BAUDELAIRE.
Just needed to say that. I stan the little biter so much.
Anyway, I only do blog writing for now. Writing books is my sister’s thing. But maybe I will try that soon. Maybe starting from writing short stories or fairy tale retellings because I love those. BABY STEPS.
Well, I suffer from anxiety. I mostly get anxious because of school. See, people think my life is great because I’m a constant achiever and I’m always at the top of the class but actually, it’s far from great. Because I have a rank to maintain and high grades to achieve, I always spend a lot of time and effort studying and being pressured. I feel anxiety because the pressure of over-achieving hovers over my head like a Guardian of Doom.
I started blogging a few months ago and though it’s relaxing, it’s also a source of anxiety. I always worry about that unwritten book review or that unfinished draft. And now that I’m always at the end of vacation and I’m almost back at school again, the anxiety is doubled up because WHAT IF I CAN’T KEEP UP BLOGGING WITH SCHOOL?
When I get too anxious, I think of happy thoughts or epic bookish moments. READING HELPS A LOT. It’s my number one solution to fight anxiety. Reading makes me forget reality for a little while and that’s exactly why I read a lot. Listening to music and singing my lungs out also help too. Blog writing can also be therapeutic when I’m not thinking about my many unfinished drafts.
I haven’t been professionally diagnosed of anxiety but I know it’s there. I don’t talk about it that much because I always cover up everything with a laugh.
Writing this comment is relaxing though. I haven’t poured my heart out in a long time. I apologize for the long comment 😅
Anyway…
YOU CAN DO THIS CAIT. NO MATTER WHAT, I HOPE YOU’LL ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT MANY PEOPLE LOVE YOU. I LOVE HOW YOU WRITE. I LOVE YOUR BOOK. I WILL SUPPORT YOU FOREVER. *sends you cakes*
-R
ALL RESPECT FOR SUNNY BAUDELAIRE. OUR TRUE QUEEN.
I totally understand that sort of school-inflected anxiety! It’s really tough…and I know people often just roll their eyes at overachievers, but it’s REALLY TOUGH. 😔And I think, with anxiety, it’s going to follow us everywhere, so I feel you with blogging being fun + anxiety inducing. (Fuuuun story: this post made me very anxious to put up gah!)
I’m glad you liked the post, Rain!! 💛
this post… is exactly what a lot of people, including me, need sometimes. so thank you for writing it and sharing advice.
i really hope that you learn more ways to better cope with your mental illness. always keep searching for the truth. itwill define your life and help so much.
one of my advice to writers, especially those with mental illness, would be to just live. when they’re not writing, DO something like learn baking, help around the house, strengthen your personal relationships, spend time with family, read the newspaper, change your room’s layout, put on makeup, stay hydrated, etc etc. BE in the moment that you’re in,
think of the sensation of what you’re doing ( carpet beneath your feet grounding you, your mothers’ smile, the feeling when a prayer is answered, etc).
either live, or write about it.
no procrastination.
now whatever constitutes living for you is going to be different, but whatever it is will DEFINITELY help shape your story and writing. and also open up your mind. so that is my advice. live, and breathe, and search for truth in your life, and write about the journey. you don’t HAVE to write about the exact experience of yours, but living through different things will expand your writers’ palate and give you more emotional truth to write about.
also, read different stuff–biographies, sci-fi, classics, something translated from another language, a science textbook, anything. anything could inspire your next story, and in the meanwhile, you’ll find out interesting stuff!
also–face your fears. with alot of things, the only way to get past anxiety, is THROUGH it. example: new people make you nervous, you might even get signs of a panic attack just THINKING about them. here, you need to take it slow. you have to live your life, and you can’t do it by coddling yourself. you have to make yourself stronger, so that you can achieve GREAT THINGS, and this is the first, and often times, hardest step. so yes:people. do it one at a time. go out with your family for a picnic in a place that has a few other people around. your family is (hopefully) a safe space, but you’re still exposing yourself to the scary thing: new people.
now, take a week, a day, whatever time, and think, did they hurt you, say anything to you? no. did you panic? if you did, it’s okay, try again, take it slower this time.
but don’t stop trying.
next time, meet up with a friend at a coffee shop. get a family member to drop you off, so that you have that assurance of safety behind you. there are people in the coffee shop, they didn’t hurt you, dd they? you faced it, you did it! pat yourself on the back and take photos and stick them up on the walls to remind yourself of your success.
next, attend a small scale event, like a poetry reading or presentation or workshop. if you feel scared to do it alone, get a family member to join you one day, the next day get them to drop you off. baby steps. but never stop trying!
whenever you feel like your world is ending and you won’t amount to anything, think of all the times you overcame your fears, how you came back stronger than ever. remind yourself of that strength and ask for it again. visual reminders of your writing touching people’s hearts, like cait said, are a great way to do tat, and again, not vain.
there are so many more things, but the essence is this: LIVE. things are scary, but do them anyways. then write about them. maybe the feeling, maybe the experience itself, maybe something you witnessed someone else do or an overheard conversation snippet. allow your brain to wander for these things. it’s not wandering here, it’s working, searching for the story and truth.
GOOD LUCK AND LOTS OF LOVE xxx
Thanks for your comment, Deeja. I actually intended the post to be a discussion on writing though…not on dealing with mental illness. I don’t think there’s ever one way to deal with it and I firmly believe a lot of things you listed can actually be dangerous. Anxiety is more complex than forcing yourself to go into situations that make you anxious (and yes that’s a way to work on it, but it should be done with support and hopefully, for something like severe anxiety, the guidance of a therapist).
Just saying “go out and live” is often a disparaging thing to say. Like we wouldn’t tell someone with a broken arm to just go out and play tennis anyway, right?
I know you meant this all in the best way and there is some lovely advice here, but overall, I’m definitely just talking about writing and I’m never going to write posts on how to deal with mental illness itself because everyone is so so different.
I understand what you mean… I didn’t even consider how different it was for everyone. I’m sorry. Thanks for pointing that out.
The reason i wrote this was because for me this is one of the best ways to get myself motivated to whatever it is i want to do, and calm myself down when negative thought spirals and anxiety are holding me back. What I essentially meant was that don’t let the mental illness win. And keep trying in whatever way you can, and obviously that’s different for everyone, though I don’t think I said that in the right way.
I didn’t mean it in a pushy way, I just meant that experiencing different things will give you authenticity when you write about them.
And definitely, you’re right, a therapist/qualified professional is important when dealing with mental illness.
Again, my advice is something that may only work for me, it’s different for everyone. Some of the stuff that I said has been said to me during therapy though.
Hun this post is so amazing! Thank you so much for sharing all of these tips, they’re so wonderful and will have helped so many people (including myself!)
Writing itself can be a very stressful and anxious process anyways (lots of internal screaming occurs) and I think because of that people tend to associate mental illnesses with all writers and all artists because we can appear moody and stressed at the best of times (HEY trying to create a masterpiece should be allowed to be stressful!) But really, the stigma around artists and mental illness should be broken and I love how your post does this!
You’re a gem Cait, gorgeous post as always 🙂
Grace Louise || http://www.gracelouiseoffficial.blogspot.co.uk/
Aww thank YOU for reading!! And I’m so glad it’s useful. (I always get nervous sharing posts like this actually haha so this makes me happy!💛)
And definitely agreed…like it’s a very high-stress thing doing ANY kind of art and the self-doubt and overworking and amount of rejections can also lead to downward spirals. Although I do think there’s a difference between experiencing depression for a while and being chronically depressed (if that makes sense?).
I know what I’ve been doing wrong! I don’t have a kraken as a son yet. Thank you, Cait. Thank you.
I’ve struggled with anxiety and depression before, especially because of school or just talking to people. Now that I’m almost (FINALLY) done with grad school, it’s gotten better. Your advice is so helpful, and I’ll be sure to bookmark this post for the difficult writing days.
Keep up the wonderful writing. I can’t wait for your next book! But of course, I’ll wait anyway.
The kraken son will solve EVERYTHING. I’m glad this important information is finally getting out to the world. #KrakensForAllOfUs
Aww but I’m so so glad you found the post useful!!💛(And also that things are getting better for you with the anxiety/depression too!!)
(Someone go edit my next book for me looool😂)
Cait! Seriously thank you! I think whether you have a mental illness or not this is such an important/helpful post! I’ve struggled with social and generalized anxiety for over the last few years, and unfortunately it spills into my writing process. I feel like for the most part I struggle with three things: being proud of my work no matter how good it is, sharing my work with others instead of hiding it from the world, and seeing my work as good once I do end up showing it to people. To remedy this and begin to overcome it, I’ve started finding sentences or paragraphs that I super love and sharing them with my best friend. While I still usually think the excerpt is trash as soon as I press send, I’ve gotten better at figuring out how to like my work despite the negative thoughts inside my head. Thank you so much for this post! You’re amazing and adorable and inspiring!
I’m so glad you think so, Sarah! Thank you.💛Definitely some universal tips here just for anyone and everyone who’s struggling with writing!
I absolutely love that you’re working on sharing your work! IT IS SCARY AT FIRST. But like the baby-steps with it is such a good idea. And getting feedback while also seeing people flail is so so uplifting too?! I’m hoping your friend sends you awesome encouragements too.💛
Thanks for this post. It was super encouraging to me. And I think I need more cake. (Although I think I’m more of cookie gal.)
Aww thank you, Rachel! I SO appreciate you reading it!💛💛
I’m a terrible writer, so I don’t have tips about that, but I’ve also heard people say that having a mental illness makes artists more creative. I don’t see how. I have depression, and it mostly makes me sleepy, hungry, and unmotivated. I don’t think this is helpful for anything. (Unless I set a goal to eat all the food in the house. I can totally achieve that.) Thanks for sharing your story!
Exactly right?! Like when I’m having a bad time with depression, guess who motivated and inspired I am to write…um 0%. Who even comes up with these stereotypes?! They’re really harmful. (They almost encourage writers to NOT get help, like it’s our rite of passage or something to be depressed and creative. *eye roll*) However I do like goals like “eat everything” so I’m with you there. 😂💛
Hi, Cait !!!
Well, i’ve never been diagnosed and i don’t have any mental illness, but all of your advice was extremely useful !!! Well, some of it wasn’t for me specifically, but the most part was SSOOOOOOO RELATABLE 😛
THANKS FOR THIS POST <3 It was amazing and inspring and great <3 It's so nice that you're doing these sort of posts because they're important and real and afsgydhf love it. THANKS A LOT <3
Kisses!
I’m really glad you enjoyed the advice! A lot of this is just plain universal anyway, right?!💛So it IS for anyone who can take something from it!!
I don’t have a mental illness, but I’ve definitely been in the dark places before of temptation to quit. (THERE I ADMITTED IT)
This post is so amazing. NEW FAVORITE POST EVER. I almost started crying by the end but my parents are working on a grocery list at the same table I’m sitting at so I couldn’t do that right now. 😂
All of these apply whether you’ve got a mental illness or not, and I think that all writers in general struggle with these. THANK YOU 10000x FOR THIS POST!
*sends you all the cake* I FEEL THAT PAIN. I do! I think it’s so so hard to write (for everyone too!?) and just keeping on and getting things done is a challenge and I’m cheering for all of us to keep it up!
(And fjdksald you’re going to make me emotional now omg thank you.😭💛💛💛)
This is beautiful, and I’m so glad you write it, because I know a few people who could definitely do to hear this right about now. <3
I have high-functioning depression. Some days, I just can't write, because I know that if I do, I'm going to delete everything and end up in a corner. So I take breaks, like you said, and I like to fill those gaps with other things I've meant to do. Maybe I write more blog posts (much less pressure there). Maybe I read that book I've been meaning to for, like, five years. Maybe I go out and see the sunshine (maybe, but … probably not. It's still 10,000 degrees out there).
I love your tip about printing the good! I have an email folder and a document of all the good things, for when I get really discouraged. I just haven't gotten to actually printing them yet, because I'm a slacker. xD
Part of what I struggle with is perfectionism, which means that, of course, nothing I write is ever good enough. I can read someone's work and love it and be like, OMG, THIS IS PERFECT, but that will never cross my mind with my own work. So I've been slowly working on accepting that perfect doesn't really exist and these standards aren't helping me. When I get really bad off, I go to my favorite authors' Goodread pages and look at their one-star reviews, because who would dare leave these people one-star reviews? I read through them and often laugh at what I consider ridiculous reviews or burn with indignant, righteous fury at people who totally missed the awesome train with it. But usually, I end up feeling better. You know why? Because even Terry Pratchett and Fredrik Backman have one-star reviews and people that just don't like their work (I KNOW).
Aww, Sammie! THANK YOU. 💛This comment is so lovely and I really appreciate it.
It really is difficult writing with depression…and it makes me so mad when people kind of assume that all writers *must* have depression to write or whatever. Eye roll and heavy sigh. Some days I’m too tired to even get through a few chapters. It’s really discouraging. But it isn’t ALWAYS and that’s what I focus on!
The perfectionism i shard too! I definitely struggle with that (and wanting to toss the whole manuscript when it’s not right on the first go) but I do think we have to retrain ourselves a little with that one?! Like writing isn’t a “YOU GET ONE SHOT”. Thank goodness. 😂 We get tons of tries. Rewrites are life.
(And agreeeeed. All books are subjective. Nothing is universally loved! It’s encouraging!)
oh my god I love this post so much!!! also so relatable and motivational!!! <3 (random but I love your new-ish designs like they are so. pretty)
Aww YOU ARE LOVELY.💛💛 And I’m also glad you like the new headers!! I finally stopped procrastinating and made some haha. 😂
This post was very uplifting, I think it not only helps writers with mental illnesses but also writers in general.
Something I found helps me write is by listening to my favorite music, because then a) the music puts me in the right mood and b) it helps to not over think the fact that I just spelled the protagonist name wrong every time I wrote it, and other things but mostly the fact I can’t seem to agree on the proper name of a fictional character who died by the end anyway.
Aww thank you, Frank!! And definitely some universal advice here too! And I definitely have some epic soundtracks I like to listen to while envisioning scenes too…then I go write the scene and it works?! DARK MAGIC.
Pfft who needs to know your own character names. Not me. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I change mine mid-draft and then wonder why we’re all crying.
This is such an awesome post!! I won’t share all my issues as of late but I’ve been struggling with getting back into any sort of writing. I star with writing just a few paragraphs a day, and even that isn’t always possible. I do live near a body of water so I shall have to locate a kraken or some sort of sea beastie to be my new friend! Thanks for sharing this!!
The kraken will 100% help, I have knowledge of this from dark sources and we all confirm. (And also I so so understand that struggle to get started and also keep going. But rooting for you!! 💛)
This post popped into my inbox at the PERFECT time!! I’m trying to finish july camp nanowrimo right now, which is… failing. And this post just reminded me that this is something I actually want to do?? Tbh the best tip was the waffles. I might honestly go make some waffles right now…
This whole post is just a cover for me saying: ALL WRITERS DESERVE WAY MORE WAFFLES.
Truer words have never been spoken.
I don’t have any mental health conditions, but I really just want to say shoutout to you for writing this and encouraging every writer who struggles with their mental health! I think it’s very important to support everyone around you and this post is super inspiring.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Cait!
Aww thanks for commenting, Kailey!💛It means a LOT.
Thank you sooooo much for this post. I haven’t written in a few month because of perfectionism, just doing some researches to keep up the idea that I should be writing, but I can’t. So thank you for reminding me that a break is ok and that I can write this book if I want. I think I will print your list of things I should shout when I feel down and pin it in my wall !
Have a good day !
I so hope you get to write the book you’ve been dreaming up! I think we just have to remind ourselves a zillion times that it’s perfectly ok to write crappy 1st drafts and then rewrite and edit until we find the story!!
This is what I needed today. Thank you for existing
Thank YOU for reading! (And existing.) 💛💛 I’m cheering your writing on too!
Thank you so much for this <3
I am so so glad you liked it.💛💛
What an amazing and inspiring post! I’m totes saving this to look at several times down the road!
Thank you, Lisa!!💛💛 I’m really glad it was helpful!
“I am just a constant silent scream.” Oooph, I feel you right there. I actually just wrote up a post on things that make me hopeful, and getting the chance each day to (maybe) write is one of them. Thank you so much for this post, Cait. The positive wall really sounds like a fab idea. Just writing up my post, telling the voice in the back of my mind to f/// off, because I have so much I love and want to do, that was helpful and good.
You talked about taking breaks and how everyone writes at different paces // my break has lasted five years lol. I’m thinking August will be a writing month for me (altho I’ll still bring like three books on my vacation lol). I finally feel… IDK ready. And that feels amazing. And honestly, yes, reaching out to people, the right amount for you, getting feedback, sharing each other’s stories, that is a great way to motivate yourself to write. In college, I loved reading and critiquing other people’s works because it’s inspiring and it’s camaraderie. Us writers are in this lil tugboat together and gosh darn it we’re gonna get our huge trawler of stories to the shore!!
Aww I’m so glad you liked it! I am ALL for reminding ourselves of the positives, because (at least me personally😂) gets way enough negatives from inside my own brain lmao.
Definitely having a support/cheer team for writing IS good. And I mean, sometimes we have to make sure the breaks don’t last too long (I should probably write a post on how to stay motivated sometimes?!) because it can become just a habit to NOT write. And we still have to make ourselves do it sometimes!
Perfect post is perfect and exactly what I needed! I feel like while everyone is aware of mental illness, they don’t take it as seriously as they should. “Mental illness makes you creative!” WHO THE HELL MADE THAT NON-EXISTING CONNECTION?!?!?!? Mental illness is draining more than anything. It is not at all helpful. Mundanes.
In regards to the writing, when I feel super down about everything, I tend to either a) read a lot of uplifting blog posts about writing [much like this one], b) re-read my favourite books, of c) [as you said] plan a new and exciting story.
I LOVE PRINTING THINGS!!!!! I have so many things on my wall that help with writing. Some times I just write down words that inspire me (At the moment it’s: Decrepit…. there is so much story potential in that word 😀 )
10,000 cakes to you and your Kraken son for this perfect post. (Does your Kraken son have any friends who need a home??? I HAVE LOTS OF CAKE!! (who can resist this bribe???) THEY WILL BE SO LOVED!!!)
EXACTLY. I HATE THAT THIS STEREOTYPE EVEN EXISTS. I think it’s also poisonous to we who ARE struggling?? Like I can be really super depressed but then the world is saying “oh don’t get help for it! you’re being more creative”! Actually I’m being LESS creative?! I do acknowledge that mental illness gives things to my story that I wouldn’t write without it…but it’s not a thing to praise or want. 😭 Ugh. It’s literally being sick a lot of the time.
(I’m SO glad you found this uplifting!! DAY MADE.)
Printing things is weirdly helpful, right?! Like just having visuals so it’s not all in our head/on the laptop. I love it and it motivates me a lot!
(My Kraken son THANKS YOU. AND I WILL SHARE THE CAKE WITH HIM.)
Writing bloopers for your books? Why didn’t I think of that?! XD How do you do that, exactly? It does sound fun. 😛
And thanks for this post, Cait. I did need to read it. I’ve been struggling with not feeling like a real writer lately because I don’t know how to discipline myself to do it and find a good balance with writing and depression/anxiety and also finding time to read and blog and do other things I like to do, cuz then when I’m not writing I feel guilty for it. :/ But your post reminded me that whatever pace I’m going at (which is reaaaaalllly slow :P) that I’ll be ok if I don’t give up. 🙂 And I’m finally going to get to take a creative writing class next month and I was worried it was going to feel like a waste of time if I still didn’t know what I wanted to do with writing, but hopefully it will help me get inspired and figure out how to make writing more of a priority. 🙂
Honestly I write my books AS bloopers half the time. 😂It’s a big way I put humour in haha. I just imagine the “mistakes” that could happen and write them in for the funniness lmao.
But yes! I think it’s really hard to feel like we’ve got writing under control when our brains are struggling just to keep ourselves afloat. (Also finding time to do everything is an aaaawful difficulty and I NEVER get it right and constantly feel either overwhelmed or guilty, so you’er not alone!!)
Also I hope you have a good time with your creative class! Any progress is definitely better than no progress. 💛
Love this post! I like how you mention to take a break before you decide to quit. It makes me think of a little kid getting frustrated with a drawing or some project, throwing everything down, and saying they’re quitting, but an hour later they’re back at it. They didn’t need to quit, they needed a break. I don’t know if anyone else did that, but I did that a lot as a kid. So maybe I should just take a lesson from childhood. XD
Breaks are good and sometimes oddly forgotten?! I guess we feel like failures for not being able to get it…and we go straight to quitting instead of just giving our brains time to cool because we’re probably over-heating.🙈
Thank you SO much for writing this post, Cait. This is something I’ve struggles with and have been working on a lot. I definitely agree with giving yourself permission to take a break rather than quitting. I also find that when I’m struggling to work on my bigger WIP doing something really short, like a poem or flash fiction that’s unrelated to my bigger project, is a great way to keep writing and to feel a sense of achievement. I recently started a blog series called Wild and Improbable Tales, inspired by Erin Morgenstern’s Flax Golden Tales, to do just this and it has completely changed how I feel about my writing. Thanks again for sharing, this was such an important message for me.💛✨
Aww thank YOU for reading! 💛 I so appreciate it and am so encouraged by everyone here in the comments too! Also yes, totally taking breaks to do shorter and more biteable pieces of work helps too. And sometimes like even just making a pinterest aesthetic or something can still be motivating and helpful even if we can’t manage to get words down right now. The important thing is to not quit for sure!
Awesome, AWESOME post! Thank you!
I’m being treated for PTSD, which also has subcategories of OCD, depression, and anxiety. You know, all the good stuff.
My biggest problems with engaging with writing is that I’m constantly tired and unfocused. I also get overwhelmed easily. This leads me to mostly wanting to hide under my covers. But as I’m guessing most of us have discovered, cake doesn’t hide in bed with you, so in order to partake in that delicious goodness I do some things to help me.
Like Cait writes, taking breaks is great. Filling up on your creative brain account really important. (And fun!) I never edit when I’m feeling really low or overwhelmed because that ain’t the time to make big decisions.
If I feel completely stuck in my current writing I try looking up new words and maybe write a sentence about it or create a vision board story around it. Anything to keep me coming back to entertaining stories and writing in my head. Not all stories need to be written down. (Although I guess it will help with publishing a lot of the time! 😉
Anyway, that’s what I could come up with now. A really great and important post! Loved everything about it!
Good luck, everyone!
May the odds be ever in your favor! Haha.
Ah yes all the fun stuff. Collecting the whole alphabet of diagnoses. 😭 I do relate. And the feeling overwhelmed/too tired to write? YES. It’s something I think most writers without mental illness have no idea we go through? A chapter becomes an insurmountable MOUNTAIN and sometimes I just write a few words and I really end up lying down. It’s not always that way (I get into a bit of hyper focused mani at times and can work a LOT) but it’s really disheartening to want to write but just not have the power, almost?! (Someone rechaaaarge our batteries.)
But YES. Refill the creative tank! Take breaks! Reward ourselves! These are all so so important. 💛
Oh god this is something I really needed Cait, bless you.
I recently had a writing-related breakdown, say… a week ago? Because I hadn’t added anything to any of my projects in four months (!!!) after working on them obsessively for almost three years (also !!!!). I had been trying, yeah, but every time I opened the word document, I’d stare at the words for a couple hours and come up with nothing. And, for someone whose biggest dream in life is to be a published author, to have a project this BIG just stop? It hurt man, it really hurt.
I even got to the point where I thought that writing wasn’t supposed to be doing with my life, that I was disillusioned and needed to find a more practical career instead of this silly fantasy.
(Ngl, I’ve had bad days, but thinking that everything I’d ever wanted for myself was a lie was the only thing that had ever made me truly depressed.)
But… luckily, I have some AMAZING friends online who have helped me out and listened to me cry and told me that I CAN do it, because they read some stuff that I write and they love it.
And it’s because of those friends and (now) this incredibly motivating blog post that I’m currently writing what’s basically a fanfic for my own book to reacquaint myself with the characters and their personalities (it’s a Modern High School AU and it’s a d o r a b l e).
In fact, last night, I told a somewhat-new friend about the plot of my novel, and she absolutely loved it and told me that she would buy 1000 copies!
So, thank you! I’m sure there’s others who’ve been at that point where they think they just can’t, or aren’t meant to, and this post right here is the absolutely perfect pick-me-up!
I’m really glad it was encouraging for you too, JP!! I think a lot of writers get paralysed with fear a lot (not necessarily mental illness related, of course) and it really sucks motivation out of something we love, right?! So it’s good to like just remind ourselves why we love it, that we CAN do it, and also to remember our characters are precious cinnamon rolls who need us. 😂
I needed this post, Cait! You have magnificent tips, I really like the idea of keeping a visual reminder of good things.
Aww, thanks, Skye!💛 I’m so glad it was helpful for you!
This post is exactly what I needed, thank you x
My writer’s block has been stronger than ever this year and I feel like it must have something to do with anxiety, I seem to give up on stories 2 pages in, telling myself that publishers would hate it and it wouldn’t be read. Posts like this really boost my confidence- especially those last things I can shout at myself when i feel like I can’t do it. YOU’RE SUCH AN INSPIRATION, thank you for sharing these tips- they’re so helpful !!
Such a wonderful post <33
(P.s — I'm pre-ordering my copy of The Boy Who Steals Houses once I've finished writing this — Can't wait for it !!)
Thea Scott || http://theascott.blogspot.com/
I’m SO glad it’s helpful for you! 💛 Honestly it was a big shout to myself as well because I find myself shutting down over anxiety with my writing a looooot. It’s frustrating, right?!
(Also ajfdkslad thank you so much for being excited for TBWSH!!)
I guess it does sound kind of crazy to say something like “The characters wanted to do this, and then I asked them ‘are you sure?’ and they said ‘yes’ but it’s really not.
I have one comment this lady left on one of my stories earlier this month. She probably doesn’t even remember reading it, but I’ll probably always remember the comment. It was so nice. I’ll probably never forget it. It’s something I can look at if I’m feeling down.
Sometimes I get sidetracked and forget to write. Once I got sidetracked and didn’t write any fiction for over a year… but then someone left a nice comment on one of my stories and I had to go work on it again. I think that most writers can’t stay away forever. It’s just something that’s in you. Even when I wasn’t writing fiction I was writing other things.
Thanks for sharing this post, and letting people know that they’re not alone!
I’m glad someone’s nice comment is a great motivator for you to keep working! That’s awesome!
However the whole “my characters talk to me!” that a lot of writers say is…just a funny comment. It’s not a mental illness at all. (I’m not exactly sure what you were getting at in your first paragraph? But yeah.)
This post is full of so many wonderful gems! I am bookmarking this for later because you said everything so wonderfully and it just made me super happy. I have to admit that I am slightly alarmed at your addiction to your readers tears, and though I’m super psyched for The Boy Who Steals Houses I’m also very, very afraid.
BE AFRAID MWAHAHHA. *coughs awkwardly* I mean, wait. No of course I try to write…nice…things. 😇😇
I don’t struggle with any mental illness, but of course I get discouraged and frustrated with myself, so this post was a really great reminder that if something is feeling like too much, don’t freak out, and eat cake. <3
I’m sooo glad you liked the post!!💛 and of course there’s universal advice in here, like eat cake. Tbh if people only take one thing away from my blog, in any blog post, and it’s “eat cake”…then I have succeeded. :’)
As an aspiring writer who doesn’t quite know how to do it while also battles social and general anxiety, I just wanted to say thank you for the tips and thank you for sharing your experiences ❤️
Aww, Betty, thank YOU for reading.💛And I really am cheering you on with your work too! It’s really tough dealing with chronic anxiety.
This was a wonderful inspiring post. It especially made me feel better about my one experiences with times I have stopped writing as much because my mental health has been bad, and despite that, I can still go on to do my thing. Thank-you! As for writing about my mental illness,. I mainly write poetry and use it as a tool to work through my experiences and feelings, so lots of my writing, especially when things ain’t going to well, are focused around that and my mental state. As for my fiction writing, there’s more diversity, depending on how I feel.
Ahhh I’m so so glad you liked it.💛💛And honestly progress is STILL progress. So as long as we don’t beat ourselves up for not doing what “everyone else is doing” then we’re still working towards a goal here, right?!
Omg I loved this post… While I don’t suffer from anxiety as a medical condition, I do get very anxious about my writing a lot of the time, and I found this post very motivating! I’m probably going to go back to this post and re-read it whenever I start feeling bad about my writing. I agree that sometimes you just need to take a break; I just ditched my last WIP because I was getting very anxious and frustrated with it, and I started writing a new story, and it’s honestly one of the best things I’ve ever done 😂 I’m actually enjoying writing now?! I feel good about it?! I love my new project?! I should have done this months ago… Anyway… Great post! 🙂
Andrea @ https://spaceshipsvampiresandsecretagents.blogspot.com/
Ahhh I’m really glad it was helpful! And definitely still a lot of universal advice here for when we writers get overwhelmed and everything is just exploding. 😫
(And SO glad you’re writing something currently that’s super exciting you!!)
Wow great post Cait! I don’t have any form of mental illness but it was interesting to read your tips for writers who do have a mental illness. It’s totally ridiculous that people say mental illness makes you a better creative, like no, that’s not how this works.
Thanks, Jo! I’m really glad you liked the post.💛
Mental Illness has been romanticised to a fault.
But, Cait. This post is absolutely wonderful. It’s so hard to figure out why you can’t write during certain periods and why you’re so bad compared to everyone else.
But then there are posts like this that remind you – no. Your writing is a work in progress and so are you.
I find keeping a Pinterest board full of good stuff, pinning really nice quotes and advice from other authors really helps and also being super healthy – like sleeping on time, eating a good diet, exercising every day really helps with my Mental Health. I didn’t even realize how much until I started doing it.
Hope your having a good day xx
It has been awfully romanticised and I think that’s half of the danger? Like when a young writer is told they NEED to be ill to write instead of encouraging them to get help?? So wrong. 😭
And especially when they tell you that only alcohol or drugs will induce creativity? Like, what the hell?
This actually made me tear up because I feel it so hard. I have pretty severe anxiety and bipolar/depression on top of that, so I go through huge emotional waves of productivity. My anxiety destroys me at times and makes it virtually impossible to get anything done because I’m in a frenzied panic. So much of the writing advice that’s out there is so overwhelming and just plain exhausting to even read. “Write everyday” is one that is particularly difficult for me. I can’t keep up with that without damaging myself or losing my love for writing.
I was a theatre student in college and was told at one point that I wasn’t accepted into the acting classes because they were afraid the work would be too much for my depression. I was (and am) kind of furious that someone took that chance away from me because of a maybe, and as a result I became even more consumed by depression. So yeah. Mental illness is rough.
Aww, Erin!! Sending you all the hugs right now.💛 I feel like a lot of writing “advice” is very much unattainable for neurodiverse people a lot?! Like I can hyper focus and write really intensely for a week or so…but then there are times when I CAN’T write. I’m too tired or too overwhelmed and I hate that it makes me feel like a failure. We’re definitely NOT failing when we take time to listen to what our brains need instead.
We definitely don’t deserve to lose opportunities either. I’m sorry you had such a negative experience with the acting class. That’s totally unfair!? It’s never someone else’s place to tell us what we can or can’t do.
(Mental illness IS rough. It’s not romantic or sparkly 😭😭.)
Can relate to a lot of this content, Cait. Social anxiety and depression mess with me in a big way, too — and in fact I managed to push so fast and so hard on the authorial front for a few years that I broke myself and drove the depression even deeper, lol-oh-why. Am currently on an extended break from drafting new things, and dedicating available focus to getting older projects publication-ready (on a MUCH SLOWER SCHEDULE than the one that wrecked me; I am a learning robot, ok). Probably raising a smol kraken baby would also help, but I don’t know where to find one outside of that one novel on my to-do list, so we’ll just have to wait and see on the feasibility of that one.
Aww, I’m so glad you liked the post!💛 And I also relate a lot to that awfulness of having to burn out badly before you realise how important it is to take care of yourself. Gahh. But at least we’re working on it right?! The important thing is to keep sharing out stories!!
I needed this today, thank you. It does make the trip easier to know other writers are in there with you.
I’m so so glad it was useful for you!!💛
I have been diagnosed with several mental illnesses, and they often find their way into my stories. But not with names. Just, like, odd traits, and parts of peoples personalities. I hesitate to write a story “about a girl with depression/anxiety/an eating disorder/etc” because I don’t like the idea of being defined by a diagnosis, and yeah, I don’t think I’m ready for that yet. I liek your tips – definitely good to remind yourself of the good comments and reviews and stuff. 🙂
I totally understand! I mean, I definitely agree that having a mental illness affects our writing, and there’s nothing wrong with that at all. Looking back, even at my earlier works before I was diagnosed, I can see anxiety everywhere in my characters. And it’s HARD writing the actual labels. It’s exhausting to be vulnerable on page like that.
I wish you all the best with your work.💛
This is a great post thanks for sharing this stuff with us! I had a giggle at the Sunny Baudelaire and kraken shout outs, should have known kraken would appear in a Cait post. This is such a good point about the expectation that artists should all be miserable and depressed like it’s a “good thing”….I agree: HUGE NO! I’m amazed that you went away from writing for 6 solid months (Cait not writing waaaat) and I’m really glad you came back 😊
I am just ALL for the Krakens right now apparently?! 😂😂 I need a kraken afjsklad. Ahem. But also just so glad you really liked the post!
And I know right??! It was a really bad time for me when I “quit” writing. I think I was about 17…I really wish I’d just understood that it’s ok to back off and take breaks instead of feeling like a monumental failure. I’m glad I got through it for sure!
This post really means a lot to me and I really am going to take note of a lot of the things you have mentioned! I am currently writing my final project for my final year at university, so although it’s not fictional a lot of the things you mention here also apply to me. I often remind myself that of course a first draft is not going to be perfect but it’s so comforting to be able to read/hear it from someone else as well.
Thank you for writing this post!! You have helped me!!
I’m so so glad it was helpful! That’s really what I hoped this post might be for some people so I’m REALLY glad. 💛 And definitely wish you all the best with your work at uni!!
Thank you for sharing this. Sometimes the fear and anxiety can take over and it’s great to know you’re not alone. I love the idea of printing out positive comments and giving yourself a break. I guess it’s all things we already know but our brains forget when the anxiety sets in. Thank you
This is amazing and just So so so motivating. Many times I don’t write because I had been having some “bad days.” And then later I feel awful for not writing but as you said, sometimes all we need is a good long nice break. And being proud of our work is SO SO SO GREAT. Printing all the encouragement and good things and putting them up walls sis a great way to encourage myself to write. Sometimes my problems melt into my writing, sometimes it makes it super good other times shitty BUT SO WHAT EDIT. And yes, earlier I used to hate myself over the fact that I write so slow I’ve been working on my first draft for ever half a year and I’m not even half way through???? But still, I’m writing and that’s enough. Sooner or later it would be complete! This post was so great on so many levels I love you Cait *sobs*
I’m so so glad you liked this and found it motivating!! Thanks for reading, Deepika! 💛And it is always encouraging to be reminded we’re not struggling alone, right?! Writing in general can feel very isolating. But as long as we ARE making progress, that’s better than nothing!! At all times!
*sends you all the cake* 💛💚
‘there are people who openly say artists HAVE to be mentally ill to create good art’ last term I had a literature class and it pretty much revolved around this one author who preached this and 🙂 I was SO angry especially because he even wrote an entire essay based on this??? And then it was turned into a film??? And our teacher showed this to us WITHOUT warning?? We didn’t finish it as ‘the lightning in the classroom was bad’ and then we ‘wouldn’t be able to appreciate it enough’ so she told us to watch it at home because of course it was part of the exam 🙂 I refused to watch it though because I already felt like crap watching the first fifteen minutes or so in class
ANYWAY I love this post Cait thank you so much for this ❤️ I really, really needed this. My current WIP deals with anxiety and while it’s hard it’s also kind of therapeutic? Definitely going to try and remember all of these things you mentioned when things get bad though ❤️
Omg I’m so mad right now, arghhh. That’s just such a poisonous thing to teach people. It’s so DANGEROUS too. Like telling already vulnerable people NOT to get help or they can’t create art?! *throws things at whoever even thought this up* 😭😭
I’m really glad you enjoyed the post though! And I totally get how it can be therapeutic to actually write about your experiences too.💛💛
What a great post, Cait 🙂 although I might not be able to relate about writing cause I don’t write books, I still feel like this is pretty universal when it comes to almost any creative work. And I also like to delete all my achievements. I’ve been trying to save screenshots… maybe printing them out is indeed the right way. Thanks for that idea. It’s really hard to get out of the nasty habit of discounting all your achievements…
Ahh I’m glad you liked the post! And yeah I totally think a lot of this is just universal writing advice too! (And it’s so good to just like let ourselves be proud of what we’ve worked on?! SO MUCH.)
Oof. I needed this. Writing with anxiety+depression+ADHD is like….. “I need! to write something! or I’m worthless! but I’m too tired! oh and what about that idea and that other idea and following through? what’s that?” So hearing you say it’s okay to write in little pieces and take year(s) to finish drafts is really comforting. A lot of my characters have mental illnesses but I haven’t yet written a book that focuses on it. I do have an idea that’s basically a self-insert to help me work through some of the tramatizing shit I’ve been through in the past year! because there’s been a lot!!
I’ve actually gotten to talk to a few authors about writing with mental illnesses and it’s really encouraging to know that we go through the same things. If they can do it, so can I, right? (One of those authors, Claire Legrand, wrote a book called Some Kind of Happiness that I think you’d really like. It’s about anxious girls and forests and the magic and power of writing.)
Omg I so so feel for you. 💛 I mean, our experiences aren’t identical or anything but I think those of us who struggle with mental health issues + writing and being creative ARE really fighting an exhausting battle a lot?! But like we CAN dot his. Even if it takes us longer or we have to do it different ways. (And thank goodness it can also be a bit therapeutic to rant-write too about stuff we also are struggling with😂)
Omg Claire Legrand! I’m so glad you got to chat with her! I need to read that one for sure. I’ve read Winterspell and Furyborn by her!
This blog post was v. helpful. So thank you.
I don’t have a mental illness, just heaps of stress, some social anxiety, and a dabble of depression. What a fun world.
I keep needing to remind myself that my work is good. Like I published a book already, my other work isn’t terrible!
I keep comparing my work to authors, but I have to remember that I’m much younger than them, so of course, my work isn’t nearly as good. It takes experience and time.
I hate getting critiqued, but I went to book club at school and brought a piece of my writing. It was basically just a few people I knew, pus a teacher and a college student. Not even any boys. We had read a piece of writing that was GREAT, so I was panicking about reading mine.
Aaaand everyone seemed to like/love it. No one had negative stuff to say, and only a few gentle critiques here and there. I felt so relieved and silly that I was panicking the whole time.
Anyways, I better get back to the draft. Nanowrimo isn’t going on pause or anything.
Thanks for the inspiration!
“Plus
I’m really glad it was a helpful post for you!!💛And just a reminder that anxiety and depression ARE mental illnesses and some of the most common kinds. So I definitely think the escalate the fear of critiques and of not being good/perfect enough with your writing to make things work. I mean all writers do feel that, but anxiety does tend to gnaw at us more intensely than someone without it.
But remembering it takes experience and time is VERY important too! And also published books are not just one author’s doing. They have multiple editors behind the scenes!!
(So glad everyone loved your piece at that critique class. AND GOOD LUCK WITH NANO!!)
Oh. The more you know…
I tend to be a perfectionist, so it’s v. hard for me to let go of critiquing and editing. I finally got into it during Nano, and I’ve just been writing random scenes. I still do a bit of editing, but not too much. That’s for December.
I got 3,000 words yesterday night. Let’s hope I can repeat it today.
Thank you. 🙂 Book club started out as a ‘book club’, but quickly morphed into ‘writing club’. It’s great to see other people my age bringing in work, and accepting lots of critiques without fear. When we were about to read my piece, I kept telling people it was horrible! xD
Hi Cait, I just came across this post and am so glad I did. 🙂
I was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, along with social and generalised anxiety when I was 19 and I can honestly relate so much to what you said about feeling exhausted most of the time.
When I feel low on creative inspiration, I tend to either read a book, watch a movie, or play a video game in the genre I’m writing. I’ve found that this helps me to get into that genre’s zone, so to speak. Lately, I’m struggling to focus more than anything.
Will definitely be keeping your post in mind when I struggle.
Have an awesome day,
Dax. xoxo
I’m really glad you enjoyed this post, Dax!! It’s really encouraging to me to know that 💛and I’m definitely rooting for you and your writing to be wonderful successes! Focus is really hard though, ugh, I’m really struggling with that too. But hey, any progress IS progress and we can celebrate it!
I have been depressed for 14 years (at least), I realized it about 7 years ago, and i started acknowledging it & taking care of my mental health by medication and cognitive behavioral therapy for about 2 years now. I also have general anxiety, panic attacks, and everyday insomnia.
I have always written in notebooks about my feelings for as long as i can remember and i eventually threw them away because i was afraid of anyone finding them. However when i started therapy the only way i could express my self was on paper so i would read aloud to my psychologist. She did tell me a few times that i should consider writing a book or just to simply continue writing. if i decide to start a blog or write a book it wont feel as foreign to me.
Well I came across your page when searching “how to write a book when you have a mental illness”. i think I’m ready to start my journey on writing again being its been SO MANY YEARS, I am overwhelmed at the thought to be honest. I’ve had 3 panic attacks in less than a week this past week and am looking for an outlet. Do you have any advice? Where or how i should start? i look at a blank Word page and just end up closing it out. Please help..
Hi Nina!!💛 First I just want to say I really feel for you and I completely relate to the awfulness that are panic attacks and depressive episodes…but I’m really glad you’ve got a support system and people taking care of you. It’s actually REALLY hard to do those things and to get help, so you’re straight up amazing right now and I hope the therapy really gives you a safe and good place.
Ok so for the actual starting of writing a book — I definitely think it’s a great idea! You could consider writing a character who goes through what you’re feeling? That would maybe give you a therapeutic outlet to vent about things, and also like give the *real* side of the story (because so often books/movies/media give such crap representation of what it’s actually like to have anxiety). Or if you’re after like doing something completely different to yourself, go for that too!!
I think the best plan is, for the blank page: is to tell yourself you’re going to write badly. Just WRITE. I honestly had to really really work to stop being a perfectionist for writing. It was deeply scary at first…but books aren’t just written once. They’re written so many times. The important thing, with a draft, is just to pour your heart out. So let yourself write messy sentences and maybe focus on enjoying the actual craft of creating from nothing? I hope some of this might help and I totally hope you start writing again. 💛 I’m not great with spoken-words, but written-words gives me such an outlet too.💛
Thank you you’re supportive and kind words are very much appreciated!
Writing; I’ve never actually written a story before but maybe i should try. I have always just gotten so use to expressing my thoughts that when i read it on paper it scares me because of judgments from other people. Heck when i read it back to myself it almost feels like I judge myself.
I am so glad you stated that you had to try really really hard to stop being a perfectionist in writing because that is exactly how i feel!! i thought it was just me with OCD. MESSY sentences and just pouring my heart is probably best until i get comfortable again and perhaps even find my own style! eventually in TIME. There is not rush but the outlet will be so relieving.
Again thank you so much i needed this encouragement!!
Hi Cait!
I loved this post and it somehow triggered my tears to just drop almost without permission!
I almost always attempt to write at least 20 words a day but some days I JUST CANNOT WRITE TO SAVE A LIFE! I used to beat myself up and cry thinking “holy hell I cannot do this!” and still do! Thank you so much for the encouragement and I don’t like to write about my mental illness because I get triggered pretty damn easily! 😩
I’m glad it was encouraging for you!! 💛
I’m in the middle of editing the first book of a planned 3-4 book series. I have anxiety, depression and borderline personality disorder. Editing often feels like work instead of doing something I genuinely enjoy so after a productive week or two, I collapse for two weeks after and fall into this “why am I even bothering” mode. The thought of editing makes me anxious because I become worried I won’t make the right choices when it comes to fixing/eliminating things. I have this underlying love for and belief in the world I have created, but it can get pushed back by fear, worry and negativity; the BPD will just shut me down completely if the right (really the wrong) traits hit me. I also have like no friends so positive reinforcement is hard to find. This article helped me relax a bit, and I’m going to try editing a bit before bed. Writing all that out really helped too. Really glad I found this 🙂
I’m gonna bookmark this. I have generalized and social anxiety, depression, and ptsd, as well as some physical things like ibd and eczema. Lots of issues, lots of trauma. But I still want to write. And sometimes I pick up a pen, or open a word document, and then just sit there for a while, doing nothing. I get scared. Because of whatever excuse my brain comes up with. But I want to write. When I was in school, starting in elementary all the way through high school I’d write during class. But once college started, and then the following year when I dropped out of college, it just hasn’t been the same. I’ve written here and there, but nothing compared to how I used to be. Mainly because of my mental illnesses. I just, I’m working through my issues now but it’s a hard journey, and it gets a lot rougher before it’ll get easy because I’m finally facing it all head on. So my energy for fighting it to write, it’s only worked here and there in the past.
Lately I’ve wanted to actually get back into it. I’m still scared but I at least have the drive again. That’s why I was looking for articles like this, to give me a boost. So thank you. I’ll come back to this when I feel I need it <3
Thank you so much for writing this, I’ve been in a rut for about a year now, and I feel kind of stagnant in my life. I think those few little quips (cakes, waffles, and the kraken) in here caused my first laughs in around 2-3 months 🙂
I got diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder around 2 years ago, and experienced a severe traumatic brain injury a few months after. I’ve classified all of my writing as being before the “incident” or when I was “normal”. I know that anything I write now will be worse, and I always ask myself “why bother?” Every time I sit down to write again, I just get stuck and convince myself that I physically cannot.
I know I should start again at some point. The barrier just seems insurmountable. I feel as if I need to almost restart to get back to the level I was (if I even can in the first place). I don’t know if I can do it :/
Fully understandable!! And I’m very happy to see this blog. This post can just be helpful writing tips in general too.