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Writing Through Illness & Injury

September 11, 2023 | 2 min read

Sometimes, when we encounter a difficult period in life, writing practice and our creative self can both fall by the wayside. And other times, writing is the very thing that gets us through.

Writer Danielle Christopher joins us from her home on the west coast of Canada to talk about how writing carries her through periods of illness and injury.

What does your writing life look like?

After being injured in a car accident, I'm currently on medical leave from the general contracting business I run with my husband.

After surviving cancer and a car accident, writing has been cathartic for me while in recovery.

That's a lot to survive. What are you working on right now?

I just completed the first draft of a memoir that deals with grief, raising one neurotypical and one neurodivergent child, and accepting that my mom's story is not my own.

I started the book in October 2019, just months after being diagnosed with stage 2 colon cancer.

Then, in February 2020, I had to stop working on the book when I was in a car accident. Since then, I've been dealing with postconcussive syndrome (PCS).

Pictured here is Danielle's Traveler, which is adorned with a sticker that says: "Write like you're running out of time."

Writing while battling cancer and recovering from a concussion doesn't sound easy. How do you write through obstacles like that, emotionally and technically speaking?

Writing is my self-care. And like I said, it's been cathartic for me while in recovery. Another motivation to write is that my mother died when I was ten years old. And because I don't have her stories, that motivates me to write mine down for my own children.

Writing is my self-care.

Technically speaking, my writing day is all over the place — all over the house, in the car, in waiting rooms, at coffee shops. Sometimes I use Siri to dictate, sometimes I use pen and paper, and of course I use my Freewrite Traveler the most to mold my thoughts into chapters.

Traveler is very gentle on my eyes. Bright lights can trigger migraines and vision troubles due to the concussion, so computers aren't the best option. But on Freewrite, I can type 100-800 words per session.

I also love the ease of emailing myself pieces and syncing to my Dropbox!

What's next for you?

Once I finish my memoir, I'm thinking of using my work in film and TV from the 80s to early 2000s to explore fiction. That era was pre-social media, and I have a lot of material!

Danielle Christopher lives and writes in Langley, in the Fraser Valley, BC, Canada. She is an alum of SFU's The Writer's Studio 2022 and 2023. Follow her writing journey on Instagram and Facebook.

Is Writer’s Block Real?

The debate has been raging since the first words of Sumerian were chiseled into the Kish tablet. OK, we don’t know that for sure. But whether writer’s block exists has always been a contentious topic.

From writers and academics to psychologists and armchair critics, everyone has an opinion.

Do you think it’s real? Is writer’s block a painful, unavoidable rite of passage for every writer? Or do you think it’s a handy excuse, used to steer away from the hard work of completing a substantial piece of writing?

Either way, understanding the expected and unexpected obstacles a writer faces will help you write faster, better, and more often.

Learn about the real forces working against you and decide which side of the debate you land on in our full-length article "Is Writer's Block Real?"

Why Writer’s Block Happens

Writer’s block is blamed for almost every stalled draft and abandoned idea. But we believe the real issue isn’t the block itself. What we need to talk about is what’s behind the block. Spoiler: it’s psychological.

Instead of blankly staring at an empty page or the few words you’ve managed to force out but can’t make sense of, think about what’s happening off the page.

Your mindset, habits, and emotions are only some of the factors that could be working against you.

Stress, self-doubt, perfectionism, a disorganized schedule — these are more than inconveniences. They’re stopping you from writing the book you know is inside you.

Instead of blankly staring at an empty page or the few words you’ve managed to force out but can’t make sense of, think about what’s happening off the page.

Identify your own specific obstacles to writing in: "Why Can't I Write Even When I Want To?"

How to Overcome Writer’s Block

Facing writer’s block may feel like coming toe-to-toe with Tolkien's Balrog of Morgoth. But every baddie has a fatal flaw and writer’s block is no different — it can be defeated.

Sure, it can feel hopeless sometimes. Especially when you started off strong, writing page after page and excitedly imagining the day you’d type "the end," only to come to a grinding halt.

But there are super effective tools you can add to your arsenal to fight this foe. There are proven strategies and productivity techniques you can add to your daily routine to slay this menace and return to your story victorious.

Learn strategies and get expert advice on how to beat your block in: "How to Overcome Writer’s Block: Expert Advice & Strategies for Breaking Through."

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Writer’s block doesn’t spell the end of your journey with your latest draft. (This is just what it wants you to think.)

Like the latest plot twist wreaking havoc on the life of your weary protagonist, it’s just another hurdle to overcome.

Learn more

January 20, 2025 • 3 min read

How to Overcome Writer’s Block: Expert Advice & Strategies for Breaking Through

In a perfect world, there would be a quick fix for writer’s block. A potent elixir that could jumpstart your brain, magic up genius ideas, and make your fingers race across the keyboard like a lightning storm crackling through the sky.

Sadly, we don’t live in a perfect world. But there are proven strategies you can use to get back into your story. Let’s explore a few of them.

Learn more