Mark Twain. Stephen King. Sylvia Plath. J.K. Rowling
- Just a few successful writers who *suffered* from depression. I highlight ‘suffer’ because, contrary to many of the articles I found in preparation for this post claimed, depression is not for spicing up writing skills or sprinkling on for emotional depth. It’s often a crippling and debilitating illness. The writers above wrote *in spite* of their illness, which is remarkable, but most importantly their depression should not be romanticised as a muse for creative outlets.
If you are experiencing depression, how can you make sure your love for writing doesn’t fall by the wayside?
How To Write While Depressed
Let’s say you are experiencing a bout of depression, or you have been in a constant fight with it for some time, how can you make sure your love for writing doesn’t fall by the wayside?
Do it for you - Writing with the notion another set of eyes will judge you is a sure way to kill your confidence. So do it only for you. No pressure, no expectations, no chance of failing.
Every word is a win - Listen, any productive activity, however small, is a step in the opposite direction of what your depression would have you do. Celebrate every paragraph, sentence, phrase and word.
Do what is fun - Do you enjoy writing lists of names? Do it. Want to write a blog post on that obsession you have today? Go for it. Feel like joining a role-playing group? They’re waiting for you! You’ll be honing your skills without even trying.
Two words: Fan Fiction - Writing fan fiction is often looked at with cynical eyes, notions of unoriginality and ‘playing at being a writer’ making it seem like a step in the wrong direction. This is ridiculous! Writing FF requires an original plot, never-before-said dialogue, management of scenes and a dance with words unique to you. And since it’s for you, who cares what anyone else thinks?
Try something different - Before I experienced true depression, I did none of the suggestions above. I enjoyed writing stories and that was it. When my feelings got in the way of doing my usual, I felt like a failure. When a friend introduced me to new writing ventures she did for fun, I flourished. After a while, I was having so much fun *not failing* (after all, I had no expectations and no bar to reach) I slipped back into story writing as my barriers weren’t as hard to overcome. Most recently, I have tried my hand at poetry when I’m feeling overwhelmed. Why? Because I truly suck at poetry. I stink. And it’s okay because I’m doing it for me and occasionally, when something not-terrible comes onto the page, I feel proud of myself.
Set yourself up to win - So, you put time aside to write but when the time arrives you find yourself doing other things because the task of writing is intimidating. Boy, can I relate. Try this: before you reach your ‘writing time’, have 1 sentence that - once written - allows you to walk away. Maybe it’s that bit of dialogue that you thought of, or a 1 sentence summery of a fan fiction you’d like to read. When the time comes, write it. It’ll take less than a minute. If you keep writing beyond that, amazing, if not, you still wrote in your writing time. Win.
Write about it - It’s a common activity to write your pain and confusion into words, and if that helps you express some of your emotions then please do it! But if you aren’t ready to get deep or attempt at making beauty out of it, I still wholly recommend writing factually. Don’t litter it with metaphors or self-indulgent phrases when you do this, be blunt. Be honest with yourself, even if you want to delete it after you write it so no one else can see. Writing out your truth in a true and raw way can feel amazing and help sort out your thoughts later.
Never try to deal with depression on your own, from experience you can break out of it, or at least manage it better, with a little outside input. Friends. Family. Your community. There’s also a fantastic writing community online, and many will be feeling exactly as you do. If you need help finding a solid writing group, I’ve always got time for that kind of thing! ❤️
