Working as an author with chronic illness and neurodivergence
That lasts as long as a fart in the wind and then we go back to chaos.
This is a topic that has been hanging around in my mind for a while. Something that I don’t hide, yet don’t actively bring up too much either. In fact, it’s the reason why my articles went on a year+ hiatus, cause I burnt myself out writing all the ones before (oops!).
Working while ill is nobody’s idea of fun, however it’s something chronically ill people have to do all the time. We suffer through many ups and downs day-to-day and our bodies can be very fickle. And then we multiply that with another illness. And another. And how about being neurodivergent on top?
Ugh. It’s tiring.
For me, writing is a double edged sword. It’s something I have always enjoyed, so picking it as a career has been a good idea, however, I also picked it because it gave me the most freedom while dealing with illness. When each day is a spin on the roulette wheel of ‘what is going to be a pain today’, nothing can be planned too far in the future. I often have to pick tasks daily because much like the British weather, things can change fast.
Every blue moon the stars align and my pain is low, my fatigue is alright, my focus is somewhat under control, and then magic happens. Words flow from my fingertips and progress is made. I even feel ‘normal’. But of course that lasts as long as a fart in the wind and then we go back to chaos.
Writing is hard. Being ill is hard. ADHD is hard. Juggling them all is no easy feat, but what else am I supposed to do?
Despite all this, I still love writing. I can’t write very fast any more, nor do I get those long sessions of scene after scene. But I can still write. And edit. And making social media posts is a great task for higher pain/fatigue/no focus days as it’s several mini tasks rolled into one.
However, this is just one aspect to being an author. You’d really think that writing would be the biggest part, but no. It’s everything else.
To be a self-published author you also need to wear all the hats. I mean just for social media alone you have to; manage accounts, create and schedule posts (multiple times a week), interact with many people, and research algorithms and trends on social media. Then times that for the different sites you use. What works on Instagram won’t work on Bluesky, for example.
And how about marketing? Oh the marketing! Every facet of your author career needs it. That is, if you want it to sell.
I often read and listen to advice from other authors who have made it, who are bestsellers or earning the big numbers… and it leaves me feeling exhausted. I feel like I need seven of me to keep on top of everything, and I only have one book out. All the things they suggest require so much energy and drive and content! And honestly, one thing I have noticed is that nearly all the advice I have seen is aimed at healthy neurotypical people. It’s draining. It leaves me feeling left behind as I can never keep up.
I’m supposed to do what I can, and yet big success also comes from social media presence, newsletters, posting all sorts of content often to be seen. There’s so much screaming into the void and gambling on the luck of websites which constantly change algorithms. Then we often analyse all the data and find out that meme we posted on a whim gets ALL the views, yet that post we spent all the time and effort on gets none (this happens far too often).
I’ve not yet found answers or solutions to how to carve my space out in the author world, but I bet there are plenty of other people struggling too, and I see you. Maybe some day we’ll make it, and all we can do for now is try.
To be honest, most of the advice is what they do now. They don’t talk about the crazy long hours they spent doing it by themselves. I would argue a good majority of the ones that tell you that may have one or two people working with them or built a system around making it work.
I say building blocks are the most important. I can’t do all of the advised stuff either with a full time job, mental illness and writing. It just ain’t happening and I am not going to pretend to try.
I say focusing on one aspect of it and growing that part is your first focus. If you want to focus on social media first? Do it and as you gain traction then evaluate the next add on.
There also is no right way to do it so if something doesn’t work, pivot and move along. To sum it up, just do one part at a time.
I hope this gives you some semblance of hope and clarity.
You got this!