How to Keep Writing Through the Cold and Flu Season
By Lydia Sharp | November 12, 2011 |
The cold & flu season has hit me pretty hard this year, and we’re not even into winter yet. My family has gone through more boxes of tissues in the past six weeks than the average elementary school classroom does in a year. As soon as we got over one thing, something else hit.
I’ve been in such a brain fog lately that I’d completely forgotten I had a post for WU this month until I flipped my calendar to November and saw the reminder. Thank the Sucrets I’d marked it down. But by then I was already five weeks into this phlegm-covered mess, and all my ideas for a post kept ending in violent sneezes. Whilst calming my sore throat with (yet another gallon of) honey chamomile tea, I concluded that I only had two choices– to either cancel my post/ reschedule it, or write through my obstacles.
After a few rounds of Schweppes ginger ale and some Nyquil-tinis, I realized I have been writing all this time (started a new novel last month), despite my raging sickness. But how?
Here are the three main things I’ve been doing… that I can remember:
Toss out your weekly/monthly word count goals and make a new, realistic goal for yourself at the start of each writing day, depending on how you feel. One day I wrote ten new pages. The next day I wrote less than fifty words. You can only take it day by day, and that has to be good enough until your health returns to normal. Some days your goal might just be “one new sentence.” And that’s okay.
Allow others to help lighten your load. When I’m sick my house becomes an every-man-for-himself war zone. We had it especially hard this past week because all three of us were fighting something, so for a few days this place was looking post-apocalyptic. But usually that isn’t the case, and at least one of us is well enough to pick up the slack that the other is leaving behind. It’s okay to take advantage of this for, say, a ten-minute writing session. That might be the only ten minutes you have that you’re coherent enough to string words into a sentence.
Step away from the computer and curl up on the couch with a pen and paper. Sitting at a desk, staring at a backlit screen for extended periods is not recommended even when you’re in good health. When you’re sick, you might get better writing results if you go the old-fashioned route for a few days. You can transfer anything salvageable to your word documents later. Writing is writing is writing, no matter what format. And there is something about the movement of a pen across paper that actually heightens your brain function.
Above all else, rest whenever you need it and don’t push yourself too hard, mentally or physically.
All of that being said, I sincerely hope you never have to put any of those points to use any time soon. May you all have a happy and healthy writing life for the remainder of 2011 (and beyond).
_____
photo courtesy of flickr’s sidknee23
Lydia Sharp (@lydia_sharp) worked a number of different jobs, everything from retail management to veterinary medicine, before turning her passion for stories into a career. She is now an editor for Entangled Publishing and writes young adult novels with lots of kissing and adventures. Her debut YA novel, WHENEVER I’M WITH YOU, released from Scholastic Press in January, 2017. For info about her books and more, visit website and follow her on Twitter @lydia_sharp.
I follow all your sick-regimen advice every day and I am seldom sick (cursed with a heroic immune system). I write something every day but the output is variable…and without guilt. I retreat to the couch with a pen if the old workbench becomes oppressive. I take a hike if eyes begin to cross. All great counsel whether stricken or not. Write on….
Lydia, my family has had exactly this phenomenon–in our house, we call it ‘the endless cold’. Last winter it lasted from October through April. First my four year old picks up something, passes it on to her little sister, who gives it to me, I give it to my husband . . . it’s like dominos, and we’re not even over one cold before the next begins. I love your writing tips for working through it.
haha my professor said one’s best piece of writing is usually when he or she is writing under the influence (of cough medicine, alcohol, etc.). everything becomes more interesting!
Lydia,
I hope you are feeling better soon. It’s funny how you just can’t write when you’re sick. You’re advice is great. You can also catch up on your reading or reread a book with a critical eye to see how the author sets up scenes, uses dialogie, develops characters, etc. Thanks for your post. Feel better soon!
Hi Lydia!
I am a writer and I have cold allergy. Every winter morning I wake up with a number of sneezes and running nose. It becomes tough for me to write. One important point you made here is having writing goals jotted down. I feel that this will also keep your clients happy. One point that I can add here is every writer must schedule a time in which to work. This can be a time when he or she is completely free and mentally relaxed.
Regards,
Steve
Hi Lydia!
I understand how difficult things might have been for you over the last few days. My aunt who is a writer, suffers from Asthma and she has severe colds at times. I would recommend her your idea of stepping away from computer. Writers rarely get an opportunity to do so. Writing on pen and paper not only refreshes the mind but also gives your eyes a break from the constant screen monitoring. Thanks for the tips.
Regards,
John
This post is perfect timing for me as I’m fighting off a cold. Thanks for the sage advice, Lydia!
Ah, Lydia, perfect timing. I powered through a week of illness and kept writing, but at a certain point, all I was producing was gibberish and I just had to stop. I’m hoping that the forced mental and physical break–which I never would have allowed myself on my own–will give me a boost once my brain and body are working again.
Here’s hoping everyone gets better soon!
I’m surprised that you didn’t mention getting a flu shot early in the season with the possibility of avoiding this whole scenario.
LYdia, looks like your post is resonating with all of us! Do you see the pic in my gravatar, the beautiful blue water? That’s from a vacation we took at end of September to some remote mountains in Sichuan; I came back with the nastiest bronchitis ever and am still not over it! I would add, that as you’re curled up on the sofa, indulge in plenty of daydreaming about your WIP and where you want it to go, then the time is not a complete waste. Hope you and your fam are feeling better soon.
Great post! I love your suggestions. Last year, I drafted a novel in six pneumonia-ridden weeks: I did all my writing on 3×5 cards! My goal was ten cards a day, front and back, and that was it. So, write a card, take a nap. Write another card, drink tea. Write a card… snooze. I got well and finished the novel within two days of each other… a double victory! Best illness experience ever. :)
PS: Hope you feel much better soon!
I have tried several times writing while having a cold. The weird thing is, everytime i sneeze, i get a good idea to write. Maybe because there is a sudden rise in my hormones or a sudden burst of energy. I am not really sure but there are many times when i sneeze, my mind becomes clear and fresh ideas come in.
Aw, I hope you feel better soon!
These are great tips for productivity in any slump, actually. Self forgiveness, allowing others to help, changing it up, and prioritizing one’s health.
I can identify with this brain fog and echo the advice given. Being an artist means being sensitive not only to landscape and character but to our own state of health. Sometimes being an artist means channelling strong creative energy, but at other times it means vegetating and letting ideas germinate. There is a deep connection between what we produce and what we experience. Experiencing illness or any other impediment puts us in touch with our own humanity, our own source of strength, our own rhythms and ultimately our own soul.
I’ve been sick the last few days too! Now, I’m behind 3 days in my NaNoWriMo journey, but I’m quickly catching up! Great advice, I just wish you’d posted this on Friday!
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