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.
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.
What's next for you?
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.
