How I Write With Chronic Illness

Writing my latest release, One Wrong Move was so much fun, yet it wasn’t easy. I have Lupus, and while it’s under treatment and doing well in a lot of areas for which I’m very thankful, chronic pain comes with it. And motor skills are not what they should be. I have trouble with my hands in particular. Both of which make writing interesting. 

Long hours of sitting and either typing or writing by hand often flare my pain.
I was diagnosed six years ago and have written a handful of books in that time span. Writing isn’t always easy, physically, but I keep pushing through.    

Why? Because instead of seeing writing as a job, I view it as a tremendous blessing.

I’ve come to realize perception is half the battle. If I focus on the Lupus and the pain, it’s difficult, and I get in a funk. However, if I shift my focus and realize God’s got me every step of the way and in so many areas that could be affected by Lupus and aren’t, I’m utterly grateful. Trust me, I’m not always great at keeping my focus or my gratitude where it needs to be. Sometimes, I’m downright awful about it. There are those days of frustration and whining on my part. Just being fully transparent. But thankfully, they are few and far between. 

I’m thankful for my supportive family and for my amazing editor, who has been so kind at the slower writing pace that I’ve been on and who cares about my health. I truly have the best publisher, and it’s a joy and an honor to work with them. But there’s one more group of people who keep me going, and that’s YOU—my readers. 

I don’t know if you realize what a blessing you are. Your thoughtful emails are such a blessing. The encouragement keeps me going. Taking the time to read and review my books is so generous and means so much.  And interacting with you on social media during the week reminds me why I write. I write to glorify the Lord but also because I want to share stories with you. 

Most of all, I’m thankful for a loving Lord whose mercy is new every morning. I know He will equip me for what He’s created me to do; even on the hard days, He’s there. 

He’s also placed a deep love for storytelling in my heart. He’s fostered it in me from a young age. It started with Agatha Christie, Nancy Drew, and Scooby-Doo. When I was very sick when I first got diagnosed with Lupus, I wasn’t sure if I could or should continue writing, but God pulled me out of the muck, and the mire set my feet on a rock and poured the love of story even deeper into my soul. He kindled a fire within me that has not diminished, and I’m so grateful. 

Stories allow me to enter a different world, to get caught up in the characters and get sucked in, grabbing my attention and redirecting my focus off the Lupus symptoms and into the story world. It gives me purpose, and when I’m determined to direct my thoughts on that, it makes the pain fade into the background. 

I know several fellow authors with chronic illnesses and chronic pain, and I admire them so for keeping at it and producing amazing stories. They’re an inspiration to me. Knowing they keep at it helps me to do the same. Some days, it’s with a heating pad or an ice pack. Some days, I’m on the couch with my laptop because it is the least painful option, but the blessing is that I know a story is waiting.

I hope this encourages you today, and if you have a chronic illness or chronic pain, my heart goes out to you. I hope my stories and the stories of my author friends brighten your day as they do ours. And thank you so much for your amazing support. 

Reader Question: 

What was the last book you read that pulled you right into the story world? 

Best,
Dani