An article by CJ_Callahan

Writing is not an easy thing.

It's not as simple as sitting down to type at your computer, lifting a pen, or tapping into your

smartphone. It takes a lot of preparation, planning, drafting, and most importantly, the right

mindset.

To write a good story, article, essay, or even a letter, takes a lot of high level intellectual

skills, emotional capacity, and even physical strength to execute. It takes organisation,

time, energy, and a lot of patience. Just because a writer sits at a PC to work doesn't

mean they aren't working hard, and it certainly doesn't mean they shouldn't get tired. On

the contrary, for often this type of activity can be the most draining, and the easiest to lead

to fatigue.

I am sure many of you following Official-Visible understand fatigue better than most.

Generally speaking most illnesses and disabilities come with fatigue as a crippling side

effect. Certainly, in my case, it is my absolute nemesis.

I shall clarify - fatigue is not simply feeling a bit tired.

Fatigue is an enduring feeling of being completely drained of all energy. The simplest

tasks, like getting dressed, or making something eat, seem about as appealing as climbing

Mount Everest with a grand piano strapped to your back.

When I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia the consultant told me this was the reason for

my fatigue. He told me it was the reason but he didn't tell me how I supposed to deal with

it. I am twenty something woman with big, BIG, aspirations, and I certainly did not feel like

I was inclined to achieve these dreams if I could barely drag myself out of bed somedays.

I sought advice from support groups and other sufferers, even people who suffered fatigue

as a symptom of their very different illnesses, but the suggestions were much the same;

don't do too much, pace yourself, accept your limits, and don't try and push through the

pain.

None of this was exactly helpful, as any Novelist will tell you, writing full length books is an

all-consuming, night and day, every spare second of your existence, kind of activity. So,

randomly keeling over with exhaustion after only an hour of typing was simply not going to

cut it. I can't just opt out of a creative burst, when all the juices are flowing and my

characters are playing together nicely, because the dreaded fatigue has hit. No! I'd find

away to fight this thing, even if it killed me (melodrama thy name is).

I tried a lot of things.

Firstly I did all the things I was told not to do. I typed through the pain and exhaustion, but

I only ended up miserable, and the latter parts of my chapters seemed rushed and messy.

I tried making a timetable and sticking to it, but that didn't help, sometimes I just couldn't

find inspiration and ended up staying up at strange hours trying to catch inspiration when it

hit. This was stupid too, because it meant I was sleeping late in the mornings, running late​

for work, and usually ending up wrecked by mid afternoon. I even tried to tell myself I

wasn't tired. Really, that was a dumb move, you can lie to your reflection all you want but

you can't lie to your body.

Needless to say after years of trying remedies, fighting with myself, hurting my body, and

wrestling with mental health, I suddenly gleaned a moment of clarity; ' fatigue is just a

thing...it isn't me...chillax.'

The freedom of realising that the only reason I was getting upset and deflated about my

inability to churn out chapters was because I wasn't being quick enough, or at least as

efficient as I used to be. This was a problem caused by me not the fatigue.

The answer then, was very simple - chill out.

There is no written rule that states you have write 4k words in one sitting. No clause that

is triggered when you don't update within a certain time limit. Most importantly - and this is

a huge one for me - you story's success is not dependent on pleasing your readers

demands for quick updates. If someone really loves your story they will read it regardless

of the time it takes you to finish your chapter. Frankly, a reader will be more thrilled about

a meaty, well written chapter, than a shoddy, rushed, draft.

Fatigue is there to remind us that we need to treat our bodies with a bit of patience, a lot of

kindness, and a dash of wisdom. Suffering from a condition like fibromyalgia, or any

disability for that matter, means that our bodies are already working overtime to carry out

simple tasks that 'normal' bodies wouldn't get too stressed over. It makes no sense to

place those 'normal' expectations on our poor hurting bodies, therefore fatigue is not the

enemy, it's the little alarm bell, like the red light on your laptop, blinking frantically to tell

you it's time to pause for a moment, 'cause it ain't going to make it to the finish line without

help.

So pause. Make yourself a cuppa, take a nap, have a warm bath, whatever it is you do to

revive yourself, but do not feel guilty about doing it. You'll finish that chapter when you've

charged up a bit. You'll get that update polished once you've given your eyes a rest. You'll

finish your book in due course, and it'll be all the better for it, because you've looked after

you first!

We might not be able to fight our disabilities, or even fix ourselves, but we can tackle the

symptoms. That is a much more reasonable, achievable goal, so don't fight the fatigue...

fix it...charge up...and write on.

You've got dreams to achieve - remember the slow and steady tortoise won the race.

******

If you suffer from Fibromyalgia or suspect that you do, I recommend that you take a wee

trip over to my friend's youtube channel - 'Garrett's Fibromyalgia VLog'.

He has bravely decided to make a series of honest video diaries reflecting on living with

Fibro, and I am very pleased (and proud) to see a fellow countryman, actively putting

disability on social media to raise awareness. It takes courage, so please show some love

and support, we all need it. The link is in the comments-