College, Work, and Sickness.

College...it's been a long time since I was at uni.

But sickness and work? I know about those. I have a chronic illness so I often find myself scraping together whatever is left of my energy just to write 300 words. It's tough as hell, and I find I have to sacrifice other things to make up the lost time. I work full time too, so between the hours I work and the hours I spend in bed recovering...yeah, not so much time to write. And when I do write, sometimes I'm so tired and achy that it all seems horrible.

Here's a few tips I've picked up that seem to help me make the best use of the time I do have:

- Tea. Seriously. Green tea works best for me - it's soothing and hydrating - but I also like black tea (Earl Grey!)

- I take my painkillers an hour before I plan to write, so I'm not seized halfway through with cramps or stiff joints

- If you're really feeling tired, a notepad and pen by your bed are invaluable. I tend to scribble between naps.

- Set a fixed time, once or twice a week, to write. Even if it's just an hour. Do not let anything interfere with that fixed time.

- Don't worry about the quality. If you're exhausted, chances are you're going to be hypercritical. That can wait for the editing stage. Just get it out of your brain - anything at all - and you can form it into something more coherent later.

- if you're at the editing stage already, print out your manuscript. Keep it somewhere safe. Edit by hand and make notes whenever you have a spare moment. You can always transfer those to the computer when you have more time.

I dealt with it by cutting out writing.

During the school year, I do school (and work) only.

I write in the summer and only on short projects so that I don't feel overwhelmed or obligated to continue writing once I have to redirect my attentions back to studying.

It's only 4 years and you'll have the rest of your life to write once you're done.

I have learned not to beat myself up if I don't write.

I have a chronic autoimmune disease. Sometimes my hands are too stiff. Sometimes I barely have enough energy to go to work. My word counts are never as high as others on the board. I can't physically get there. That's okay.

The key for me has been not getting down about it. Let it go. Move on. I went 4 months without writing last year because I physically couldn't. I recovered. I got back to work. I'm back in the swing of things now. No harm no foul.

Sometimes you just have to listen to your body as opposed to fighting it. Sometimes work comes first. Sometimes college comes first. Sometimes you have to take a mental-health day from both and just "write."

There is nothing wrong with that. Any of it.

Lot's a good advice there. The one I bolded really hits me though. My biggest problem is that I'm afraid to do any writing or editing when I'm in such an exhausted state..hehe.

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Me too. I'm learning to forgive myself this, though. Any writing is better than no writing - even if it's just "I am a fish" repeated 300 times. It's still something on paper. When you're feeling better and time is on your side - that's when you can be choosy.

Sometimes you just have to listen to your body as opposed to fighting it

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Hello, fellow chronic autoimmune disease sufferer! This is a lesson I would do very well to learn.

Make writing time. Treat it like a class. It will help with idea generation (it's harder to get blocked when you're visiting your WIP every day or every other day), it will help with motivation, and it will help with feeling like doing it--it will become a positive addiction, like exercising every day. Don't let your friends invite you over for a kegger during your writing time, don't decide to skip it for a latte, don't do your homework during it (I'm a grad student who also teaches--this one is hardest for me. I know I have two hours set aside in the morning, and boy it'd be nice to skip lesson planning tonight and just do it tomorrow instead of writing! But the writing time is for writing.)

If you're talking about serious, chronic illness, the following does not apply. (I didn't see that you said you had chronic illness--this is certainly not the advice I'd give to the others who've posted in this thread.) But if you're talking about the regular cold/flu/I'm not sleeping enough and therefore my immune system is weak kind of sickness, treat it like a job. When my alarm goes off in the morning and I feel kind of ill and not like writing, I ask myself, "If I had to go in to a job, would I call off work?" And the answer is usually no. (When it is yes, I plan not to write--but I call out of work maybe once every other year.)

Added bonus? Getting really serious about my writing time has made me a better student and a more prepared teacher. Scheduling has a way of trickling into other parts of your life.

Good luck!

Yes, I'd also like to add that being "sick" with ... say ... a hangover or the common cold is MUCH different than being "sick" with something serious like a chronic disease.

If you have the latter, your whole life changes. If you have the former, sometimes you just have to suck it up. Haha.

DarkShore, you're in college. It's a busy, awesome, heartbreaking, exciting, wonderful time of life. I am wildly impressed that you are writing AT ALL beyond what you have to do for your classes. Give yourself some kudos and a pat on the back for that! I didn't become a productive writer until several years after college. Do you what you can do and know that your best writing years wait for you just ahead.

Treating writing like a class (or a job) is prob. the best way to do things. Most of us take (or took) our classes seriously and did the work and study required, regardless of illness, family issues, personal problems, etc.

Most of us treat work the same way. Whether we love or hate our jobs, we do them. Get up, go to work, come home - for many it's a routine that guarantees the bills will be paid and life will go on as we expect it.

So treat writing as a class or as a job. Do your writing before you clean the house (or dorm or apartment) or before you go out with friends to kill three hours at the local bar (or wherever). Even if you allocate just thirty minutes a day (I'd try for sixty), you'll be astonished to see the ms. grow.

And never assume that as you get older, get a job, get more 'situated' in life that you'll have more time to write. However, if you set writing as a priority now, it will remain one after you graduate and throughout your life. If you take your writing seriously, whether you are published or not, others will, too.

I really think that in some instances of sickness your creativity is forced to be put on hold for a while. This was the case with me and a chronic health problem. My creativity was completely destroyed and I had no option but to wait to heal. I'm sure everyone is different, though.

As for school and work... I think time management is the most appropriate answer.

I can't say I find more time to writing working than I did at uni. Basically you chisel out some time in the schedule and try to get something done. Best of luck with that.

Honestly? I find it quite easy to write while working full-time during the summers. Sickness-if it's just a day or two... don't beat yourself up about it. School? That's another story. I'm battling studying/writing papers... who has time to write for fun after your fingers already feel like falling off and your eyes are so strained from staring at books/screen for hours. If you figure out how to write... and not write crap... during school, let me know. Please. Good luck to you.

It's your call...
I didn't start writing until a few years after I graduated.
I couldn't have written in university. I spent 60-80 hrs a week on schoolwork (engineering), worked several hours a week in the last two years, and was severely depressed most of the time. You need to evaluate what is important for you and how much time you can find to do it.

Right now I am not setting a strict writing schedule because I am bereaved and busy at work. I still manage to write a fair bit, although I rarely get myself out of bed early enough to write before work.

I don't put too much pressure on myself, writing-wise, during the school year. I do write while I'm in school, because writing is one of my main hobbies. But if I don't have time, I don't have time. My well-being comes first, followed by school. If writing happens to fit into that, great. If it doesn't, then it can wait a little bit.

School is generally temporary, and it's something you may not get another chance at.

I think it's a little different when it comes to things like juggling a career or a family, because those things are more or less "permanent" and waiting isn't going to make finding writing time any easier. But with something like school, I don't think there's any harm in deciding to slow down a bit until winter break, or summer, or graduation.

DancingMaenid said:

I don't put too much pressure on myself, writing-wise, during the school year. I do write while I'm in school, because writing is one of my main hobbies. But if I don't have time, I don't have time. My well-being comes first, followed by school. If writing happens to fit into that, great. If it doesn't, then it can wait a little bit.

School is generally temporary, and it's something you may not get another chance at.

I think it's a little different when it comes to things like juggling a career or a family, because those things are more or less "permanent" and waiting isn't going to make finding writing time any easier. But with something like school, I don't think there's any harm in deciding to slow down a bit until winter break, or summer, or graduation.

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I really like the way you wrote this. I just wish there was more time for students. I hate the idea of putting my passion on hold, but it's hard to balance it all.

My current WIP is in need of a complete rewrite. I learned a lot from writing the first draft (half of it) but I'm taking it a different way now. I've been so bogged down with school the last few weeks, but I'm happy to say that I found a few hours today to start reconstructing, planning, outlining... even a little bit of writing today. I'd say today is a success!

ylrebmik said:

I really like the way you wrote this. I just wish there was more time for students. I hate the idea of putting my passion on hold, but it's hard to balance it all.

My current WIP is in need of a complete rewrite. I learned a lot from writing the first draft (half of it) but I'm taking it a different way now. I've been so bogged down with school the last few weeks, but I'm happy to say that I found a few hours today to start reconstructing, planning, outlining... even a little bit of writing today. I'd say today is a success!

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Bolding mine. It is hard to balance it all. I'm writing my master's thesis and working on a couple WIPs this semester, and finding the time to do everything can be exhausting. Balance is everything, but I've never been very good at it.

Balance is one thing, but prioritizing is quite another. My biggest priority right now is finishing and getting my thesis accepted so I can graduate in Dec. Writing, at least for-funsies-writing, as much as it pains me, isn't going to land me a job or pay the bills any time soon. Finishing my master's affords me more in that department, therefore it's my priority.

I've sorta found what works for me though--I don't stress myself out over wordcounts or not writing every day. I focus on my school writing and work during the week, and save weekends for the WIPs. I don't manage huge wordcounts, but the idea of taking off from writing completely for the next couple months kills me. I manage what I can, even if it's not super-impressive. Even writing/editing just once a week is still progress.

So my advice is it first prioritize your hobbies/work/whatever, and then try and find a balance based on said priorities.

I'm a junior in college, I work part-time at the campus library, and I suffer severely from Bi-Polar Disorder, ADD, and minor OCD. I find that writing helps purge my system of the depression I feel so often. If I have writer's block, I try to enjoy some Earl Grey tea with milk and honey, check the internet for people dealing with writer's block, too, and search for things on Etsy, Tumblr, Flickr, and Amazon. Random things. Things I want. Things I hate. Just something!

I treat myself to new things. I bought a brand new film storyboard template Moleskine notebook for myself to focus my newest script thoughts so I can donate it to the TIFF Bell Lightbox at some point in the future. I like to go to stores and tattoo shops, the library; leave notes in books for people to find and cheer them up. This helps me get through my depression, my writer's block, and any problems I'm having.

Of course, just talking to a close friend about my writing and problems helps, too. I have one very close friend from my city who loves to write, and we talk about writing and gaming (because we love to game, too) and help each other out. I don't know if he's doing NaNoWriMo again with me this year, but I hope he tries.