Sick Day Shenanigans

It's no secret that public schools—particularly elementary schools—are giant, germy petridishes for any number of illnesses. Well, my five year brought something home and lovingly shared it with me! So writing has taken a bit of a back burner lately. (I mean I've been super hyper focused on quilting lately, so writing hasn't been priority before being sick either.) But writers write, and when we don't—at least when I don't—we feel a bit like ships lost at sea. I've felt disoreintated, unsure, and a bit shameful that writing has slipped from the very top of my to do list lately. So how do I work through that?

The first step in stopping shame in its tracks is to NOT PANIC! After I've suspended my own distress, I remember my own humanness. While I love the idea of writing thousands of words a day—EVERY DAY—I am not a machine. I have good days, bad days, and middlish days. I also have birthdays to plan and execute, sick kids to care for, and other hobbies I want to pursue. So I'm not going to meet my maximum production every

single day. And that's okay! And I'm a better writer when I don't write everyday anyway.

Step number two is to make a plan for how and when I'm going to come back to writing. Because I'm a writer at the end of the day, and I wouldn't recognize myself if I never returned to the page. When I'm making this plan, I think about all the responsibilities I have going on, how I'm feeling, and what's happening in the lives of my family too. Right now, that looks like thinking about my daughter's birthday party, her health, the quilt projects I'm making, and my need for rest. These aren't all the things I have to think about, but give a sick girl a break, okay?

Step number three is to read back through old work of mine and remember how long it took me to write them and how many breaks I took during the process. Granted, some writing projects come together relatively quickly and others take a while. But as a whole, this part helps calm my anxiety over not writing every time. And that's it! Feel free to use my foolproof shame busting technique next time you're unable to write for a while!