Writing Despite Health Problems

By Writing can be challenging at anytime. Throw in health concerns, and especially memory and/or fatigue problems, and the challenges can be overwhelming.



I have memory problems related to a fatigue disorder. One or the other can be hard to deal with. Put the two together and it changes your entire life. As the years have piled on, I've had to learn to compensate. I love writing too much to stop. Stubbornness welled up, and I decided to learn skills to help me keep going.



Learning to work more efficiently is the key. A person with health problems has limited energy and capacity which someone healthy might take for granted. This may mean a change in technique or process to get things done.



This also applies to writing.



A part of this is learning how to take a big task and break it down into smaller achievable steps. This takes practice and a new way of thinking, but is entirely possible to learn.



With writing, completing projects is the ultimate goal. Yes, I'm ignoring the publishing part. Baby-steps. Start with the first big step only.



Judge everything by what it helps you achieve. If a technique doesn't work, throw it out. Keep trying new techniques and processes until you find what helps you complete projects.



Hopefully, the following will spark a few ideas for other writers. The important thing it to not let the health problems take the writing away from you.



The following was originally written as advice for others having memory and fatigue problems, to give a few tips towards a successful "National Novel Writing Month" (NaNoWriMo) season. However, the tips are good for anyone planning a new project.



I divide the planning into two phases: Before November 1st, or before first draft, and After November 1st, or writing the first draft.



Before November 1st or Before First Draft



Planning and outlining are two separate things, but both are valuable. How much of one or the other a writer does is specific to that writer. What ratio works for me might not work for you.



With memory problems, forget about pantsing it. You will need at least some planning and outlining done beforehand to help you with the process. You cannot count on the memory to remember everything you need.



But that does not mean they have to be a chore. If planning and outlining tends to sap the creative spirit, it may mean you've done too much. Scale it back to a minimum.



I start the planning early, pinning down a general idea. I brainstorm the idea, breaking it down to a very short description of the story consisting of one-sentence or a very small paragraph. This helps me find my way through the rest of the process by focusing my efforts.



This is one big step toward working more efficiently. Compare all the following ideas with your description. Does it fit in with the story you want to tell? Then keep it. If it doesn't, then throw it out, change and tweak it until it does, or save it for a different story.



This is the time to find character, planet, city, and spaceship names (or whatever is needed). I do limited work on the 'universe', preferring to leave it fairly open-ended. Do just enough for it to start feeling real.



The reason I limit the planning at this stage is simple: I have only so much energy, and I have to use it wisely. How much do I really know is necessary until I know what story I want to tell? The answer is that I don't.



Even though this is still an early stage, it's time to start outlining. I use several types of outlines, all depending on what the story needs. Some are more complex, some are very simple with only a few milestones written out in order. Some of the best have been hybrids of two or more types of outlines.



Starting the outlining early has a big advantage when dealing with memory problems. By this time I usually have a handful of scene ideas. It's important to get them down and rearrange them in order while they are still remembered. As more scenes come to mind it is easy to drop them into the already-started outline without running the risk of forgetting them later in the planning stage.



With the outlining phase comes brainstorming the conflicts that will carry the story. It is also time to identify the various sub-plots. This is when the characters start making their voices heard, as some of them will pop up right away to tell you one or more of the conflict won't work, they would rather do it *this* way.



I've used free-association, mind-maps, lists and all sorts of things for the brainstorming of the conflicts, characters, and potential scenes. One thing they usually have in common is that they are done in a tangible format. Whether that means pen/pencil to paper or using a computer program.



I write all the ideas down, even if I end up not using them later. I can't risk forgetting something that might be pivotal for the story.



Even the main plots and subplots can be broken down. Each should have a beginning, middle, and end. I use a spreadsheet row for each of them, playing the game of cause and effect. THIS happens, which triggers THIS. Which caused THIS to happen, which turns into THIS.



This is a case where compensating for memory lapses can enrich the book. Making sure each main plot and subplot have a defined beginning, middle, and end ensures that none are left dangling unresolved. I hate that in books, and I don't want it to happen with mine.



Once each of the main plots and subplots has been planned out I can line them up in an outline in order and in relation to each other. It should be obvious that some things have to come before other things in order for the next conflict to happen or make sense. Perhaps a step in the main plot and a subplot happen at the same time and place in the same scene. Seeing those two things together may inspire a full scene with great complex conflict.



I go back and forth between the cause-and-effect spreadsheets, brainstorming techniques, and the formal outline (not to mention the planning files) until the story starts to come together. Each builds from each other.



Even the simplest outline can save energy and stress by allowing a writer to identify big problems before writing 100,000 words and find themselves in a mess. Personally, I don't have the energy to fix that kind of mess. I much prefer to fix problems at the outline stage.



The outline also tells me what worldbuilding I might still need to do. Since I know what direction the story is going this means I can use my time economically by researching and planning out only the parts of the 'world' that is going to have a direct bearing on the story I'm trying to tell.



Like a first draft, I let the outline sit a bit and then read back through it. I make sure I fix any problems I see. Then I let it sit again before starting the first draft.



And let me say, that I fully understand that some writers cannot plan or outline like I do. Some need dramatically less, some need dramatically more. I HAVE to do a bare minimum. I can't count on a good memory to remember everything that needs to go into the book.



This is something that those with normal health do not realize: There is stress that comes with the health problems. With problems with memory there is the additional stress of worrying about forgetting something important. Enjoying the writing can be difficult with all that emotional baggage. A little pre-planning can go a long way towards allowing a writer to once again enjoy the process.



After November 1st or Writing the First Draft



Time to dust off the outline. By now it has been sitting for a bit. This means it doesn't feel like the homework you crammed the night before. Small parts of it will have been forgotten making it nice to go back to (maybe this is a benefit of the memory problems? Heh).



The outline and planning free me to write the story. I've planned out the forest, now it's time to pay attention to the trees. And most of all, have fun with it without the pressure of worrying about having forgotten something.



Nano is great for nailing down a first draft, but the basic concept can be used at any time of the year. The idea is to pound out that first draft and not let anything stop you.



This means not stopping to correct anything more than a missing word (need all those words for Nano, after all) or to make notes.



I said notes. Notes are your friend. Keep a notepad in the pocket or purse to jot down ideas as they come to you during the day, during writing, or just before bed. Don't rely on the memory.



I make notes directly in the manuscript, typing them in as they com, but I surround them with three hashes (###). These can be notes about something that needs to be clarified later, where a description might be wrong, or something new to research.



Do not stop to research after November 1st. At that point, all research is for December or later. Make a note, and then use the hashes to make it easy to come back to by using your word processor search function.



Then fake it. Yes, I said fake it. This is fiction. It doesn't have to be perfect. If it needs to be tweaked, make a note and fix it in revision.



Do not delete! Pretend that delete key is broken. If you write something horrible, leave it in but surround the section by three stars (***). If a scene needs to be rewritten sometimes I'll write it right after the last three stars. That way, I get credit for the bad scene and the new. After November is over, use the search to find and delete the bad writing.



The tip above is not only a tip for Nano success. For someone with the added stress of memory or fatigue problems, it does something else. Deleting words, paragraphs, or scenes allows the Internal Editor into your head, and an Internal Editor can be ruthless. Not only will it attack the prose, but it might turn to attack your accomplishments.



Don't allow that. This is a time to be as positive as possible. Keep writing. Keep getting down those words. Do not let anything stop you, not even a bad scene.



At the end of each writing session, make a few notes on the next section to help jump-start the next writing session. Sometimes a few keywords can help, sometimes more is needed. Use whatever is needed to help yourself remember what needs to be written in the next writing session.



Some people use white remarkable boards to make notes to themselves and to create a list of the next few plot developments for quick reference. It is big, meaning your eye will be drawn to it, and can be placed on a wall next to the favored writing area, providing a readily accessible place for quick notes.



I do not give myself guilt-trips while writing the first draft. Thanks to the memory and fatigue problems I know I have deficiencies and difficulties getting it done. Guilt does nothing to help you. Instead, it destroys you from the inside.



Tell yourself you can fix any problems in revision. That's what revision is for. November, or the first draft, is for pounding out the skeleton of that story, which during revision will be turned into something beautiful.



Having other writing friends rooting you on will also help, especially when the spirits, strength, and memory are flagging. Keep telling yourself you can do this. Get another friend to tell you that you can do this. Get help in off-setting the negative feelings and thoughts that come with many health problems.



Then keep putting down the words. Remember to be positive. Keep moving forward even if it is one baby-step at a time.



In the end, you will have something to give yourself a rightful sense of accomplishment: a finished first draft. Many writers never get that far, and you did it despite your health problems.

Check out J. A. Marlow's website at: http://jamarlow.com