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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!
 
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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.
October 26, 2025 2 min read

NaNoWriMo has fallen. A band of rebels known as NoNotWriMo has risen to take its place.

Every November, writers around the globe attempt to write 50,000 words in one month. But last year the organization behind the beloved National Novel Writing Month disintegrated.

In 2025, it's more important than ever to support feats of human creativity. So an intrepid group of humans has banded together to face the antagonist of our age.

Join us in the fight against the Modern Prometheus.

October 21, 2025 2 min read

Official Rules for the Giveaway

No purchase necessary to enter or win. A purchase will not increase your changes of wining. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

1. Sponsor

The Haunted Traveler Giveaway (“Giveaway”) is sponsored by Freewrite (a product of Astrohaus Inc.), located at Astrohaus, 1632 1st Avenue #29179, New York, NY 10028 (“Sponsor”).

2. Eligibility

The Giveaway is open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are at least 18 years of age at the time of entry. Employees of Sponsor and their immediate family members or persons living in the same household are not eligible to enter. The Giveaway is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations and is void where prohibited.

3. Giveaway Period

The Giveaway begins at 12:01 a.m. EST on Tuesday, October 21, and ends at 11:59 p.m. EST on Thursday, October 30 (“Giveaway Period”). Entries submitted before or after the Giveaway Period will not be eligible. Sponsor's computer is the official timekeeping device for this Promotion.

4. How to Enter

To enter the Giveaway, participants must submit the official giveaway form with their name and email address. Limit one (1) entry per person unless otherwise stated. Entries that are incomplete or do not adhere to the rules or specifications may be disqualified. Find the form here:https://getfreewrite.com/#hauntedtraveler

5. Prize

One (1) winner will receive one (1) Freewrite Traveler with an approximate retail value of $549. Prize is non-transferable and no substitution or cash equivalent is allowed, except at Sponsor’s sole discretion.

6. Winner Selection and Notification

Winner will be selected at random from all eligible entries received during the Giveaway Period. The drawing will take place on or about October 31. The winner will be notified via email within 5 business days of selection. If the winner cannot be contacted, is ineligible, or fails to respond within 3 business days, the prize may be forfeited and an alternate winner selected.

7. Publicity

By entering, participants grant Sponsor the right to use their name, likeness, and entry for promotional and marketing purposes without further compensation, unless prohibited by law.

8. General Conditions

By participating, entrants agree to abide by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, which are final. The Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, modify, or suspend the Promotion if it becomes technically corrupted or cannot be conducted as planned. The prize is non-transferable. All federal, state, and local taxes are the responsibility of the winner. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process or otherwise violates these Terms and Conditions.

9. Limitation of Liability

By participating, entrants agree to release and hold harmless the Sponsor, its affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents from any and all liability arising from or in connection with participation in the Giveaway or acceptance, use, or misuse of the prize.

10. Privacy

Information submitted with an entry is subject to the Sponsor’s Privacy Policy.

October 12, 2025 4 min read

The winner of the inaugural Freewrite 500 flash fiction competition is Brie Ripley Sparks, with her short story "High Holy Days."