Being a Disabled Writer: The Reality of it All

Every author has their method that they swear by. Stephen King writes a minimum of 2,000 words every day. Neil Gaiman writes at least 1,500 words per day. Brandon Sanderson writes 5 surprise novels in a year and a half. George RR Martin spends 10 years saying Winds of Winter will be released later that year. But how does being a disabled writer impact your process?

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For Starters, It’s Different For All Of Us.

All of us have our disabilities impact us in different ways, so naturally, all if us are going to have different processes. Some of us have a very strict process. Some of us don’t. And some of us pretend we have a process because it makes us feel better about ourselves.

Let’s take me, for instance. We all know I’m a zebra. On top of my physical disabilities, I’m also quite neurodivergent. So that means even on days when I’m physically better, I may not be having a good brain day. And that really affects my process.

But how? Do I even have a process? What is it, and how does my disability and neurodivergence affect it?

Well, as a disabled writer, I do try to have a process. It isn’t perfect, and I don’t always stick to it 100%, but I do my best. I don’t like to set hard daily goals for myself, because then on the days when my health doesn’t allow me to complete them, I just beat myself up over it.

What I do instead is just have my work always open.

Sure, if I’m feeling like I’m able to write, I’ll aim for at least 1,500 words. If I’m able to write, I’m usually able to manage 1,500 with no problem. Some days, if I have nothing else to do, I may even hit as much as 5,000 or 6,000. But even if I’m not able to hit that 1,500 soft goal, I still have my work open.

Even if it’s just open, I can tweak little bits and pieces here and there. Very few days go by where I’m just completely unable to work. Yes, some days are my 6,000 word days. Some days are my “hey I wrote a sentence” days.

I’ve still learned things from studying the processes of other writers, too. Neil Gaiman has this approach I admire that he refers to as “you can write, or you can do nothing.” It’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like- have your project, or projects, open. And you either work on them and write, or you stare at your screen endlessly doing nothing. Boredom is a fantastic motivator.

Another author whose work I admire, Jenna Moreci, has talked on her YouTube channel (which is a hotbed of fantastic advice and other goodies for fledgling writers like yours truly) how not every day is a writing day- some days are business days, some days are for other related ventures, and every now and then some days are days off. Like today, for instance- today was a “write a blog entry” day, not a “work on my novel” day.

Some authors I’m more jealous of their abilities than anything else. But who isn’t jealous of Stephen King’s need to come up with a pseudonym just so he didn’t over-saturate the market with his own name? Or how Brandon Sanderson wrote five whole-ass books in secret in less than two years, while also working on his main projects, being a professor, and starting an incredibly successful podcast and YouTube channel?

But focusing on that jealousy is pointless, and gets you nowhere. Therefore, the jealousy is saved most for that rare day every few months when I just need a day to feel sorry for myself. It’s a fact of life when you’re a neurodivergent zebra- sometimes, you just need a short window of time to wallow in your misery so you don’t turn into a black hole of despair the rest of the time.

So What’s It Like Being a Disabled Writer?

Sometimes, it’s actually a benefit, as far as I’m concerned. It gives me a unique insight into characters who might otherwise be sidelined, written as tokens, or otherwise entirely ignored. I don’t usually have to decide between going out with the Bros or staying in and writing because very rarely do I feel physically well enough to go out and do things. That, and I’m one of the most introverted people I’ve ever met. Plus, writing is a great outlet for feeling frustrated with your situation. Why torture yourself when you can torture fictional figments of your imagination?

Then, on the flip side, sometimes it’s a detriment. As I’ve said, some days I just don’t have it in me to write. And even on some of the days when I otherwise would be, I need to mentally recover, if it’s directly after a string of bad days.

But the most important thing I’ve been learning as a disabled writer is that you need to not be too hard on yourself. Yes, writing may not be the most physically active thing you could be doing with your life. But it takes a ton of mental work, and sometimes being disabled takes even more mental work. And that’s okay. It’s not a race to the finish line, as much as it may feel like one. If I burn out trying to push myself too hard, that doesn’t benefit anyone at all.

So, what’s your process like?

Until next time.

-Nick

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