
Hey everyone. For those wondering why this blog post is coming into existence today, it’s because I’m getting over a cold. The end of NaNoWriMo hit and so did a cold, so that was fun. However, it got me thinking, how do I bounce back into writing after giving myself time to be sick? Now, by giving myself time to be sick, it means there is horrible stuff happening – more on that in a sec – but I was okay with that. There was no way that I was up to doing anything other than making sure the house ran smoothly. Also, I like taking a small bit of time (more like a few days, not an entire week, but, ya know, cold) of a few days after the insanity of writing has stopped. All in all in was not a bad thing.
Now, those horrible stuff is more that I need to move around what I was considering as deadlines. It’s also why I’ll have a stretch deadline and then an actual deadline. The stretch deadline is if everything falls into the right place at the right time and nothing unforeseen happens. The actual deadline is because, well, life. Never know what is going to happen or when it’s going to happen so… yeah. Just got to roll with the punches and think if I can really make a deadline or if they have to be pushed back. Or even broken up into different chunks. Again, it’s doable, but you have to be flexible. Otherwise, you’re just going to go “well, that passed and I didn’t reach it, so why do anything”. I’ve been there and it sucks, so, trust me, breaking it down or reminding yourself that you’re human (SO HARD) is a good thing.
Back to the subject on how to get back into it after being sick has different levels. There’s going to be some people who knock back some dayquil and power through (so done that). There’s going to be some people who don’t want to use medicine because it’s not that bad (hi, it’s me this time). There’s also going to be some people who, like always, don’t fall into either but i hope get some helpful advice out of this.
For the first people, as much as you think you want to power through 2,000 words / editing 5 chapters / plot out an entire novel… don’t. Not at all once. Break the 2,000 words down into 500 chunks. Go one chapter at a time. If you need to nap, nap. You will only get sicker if you decide to push your body while you’re getting over a cold. Also, remember to hydrate and eat if you feel that you can. Hydrate no matter what. However, if you break it down and can only do one chunk before napping, that’s okay. If you can get through all of your chunks, that’s great and I want your level of energy. The main point is not to stress yourself or your body out with doing too much too soon. It’s old sage doctor advice, but it so works.
Now, if you’re like me with the cold I’m just getting over, I’m also breaking things down into small chunks. However, mine are even smaller. Instead of 500 word blocks, I’m going with 250. Instead of a chapter a time, I’m doing two to three pages at a time. This is due to the fact that I still feel cruddy and wanting to not do anything. If I can poke my brain into doing 250 words? That’s awesome. That’s my level of what I can do right now. You might be able to do more. You might be able to do less. The thought process is the same – we’re not here to stress our our bodies or our minds. This is a way to ease back in and build up your strength so, in about a week, you can move up to 500 word chunks / chapter at a time. Or even doing the 2,000 words without breaking a sweat.
In either case, I do recommend listening to your body and making sure that you’re doing what you can to get well. I highly recommend lots of tea – helps with keeping hydrated too! – and to not stress yourself out. Things will get done, especially if you have two kinds of deadlines to help you out. What other tips and tricks do you have for getting back to it after being sick? Or even just coming out of not wanting to do anything? Share below and, until next time, take care.