Writing Through Pain, Discomfort and Disruption

Though I hope you all are having a fantastic Valentine's day today, that is not what I want to write about, first because I have nothing to say about it, second, there is something I would rather talk about. Everybody has pain, discomfort and disruption in their life; surgery, broken bones, sickness, insomnia, getting stuck at airports, a bunch of other things. So the question is, when that is happening, how do you write through it?

First off, why should we even care about writing through it? I mean, we all deserve breaks sometimes, don't we? With all the changes in the publishing industry going on, the answer is that the most commercially successful writers are most likely going to be the quick and prolific ones. From the research I've done, the publishing path that makes sense to me is to do what I can with Big Publishing, give them my best work, and then use Print-on-Demand and eBooks for the rest, and that means I'm going to need to have a good literary output. We'll see how that works, but basically, in todays world its important to write lots and write fast. (This is coming from a commercial perspective. Every writer is different, and each has to balance this commercial side with the artistic side. But the days of the writer being taken care of are gone.)

The only answer I can really think of for this dilemma is to just write. Just push through, just do it. You can always come back with a fat red pen if/when you need to. Just do what you can. Perhaps writing in spurts can help. Music, movies and other books can help calm you down. Have you had these experiences before? What helps you write through pain, discomfort and disruption?

Ok, so here's the real reason I wanted to write about this today: tomorrow I'm getting reconstructive jaw surgery. I'll be in the hospital for a few days and be on a liquid diet for six weeks. Honestly, there are others (my mother) much more worried then I am, but its still going to be painful and uncomfortable. I would love your ideas about how to get writing done during situations like this. And if you don't hear from me in the next couple days or hear something kind of disjointed and drugged up, you'll know why. I'm not planning on going out of commission, but thats exactly why I'm writing about it--I need your help to keep things going.

There are a few other things you could do for me, if its not too presumptuous to ask.

First, your prayers, if you are so inclined, would be appreciated. Any and all prayers.

Second, tell a friend about this blog. I've been having much more success with it then I've ever had, and for that I thank you. I'd like to keep that up and keep the readership growing. If you know anyone who may find it helpful or at least entertaining, maybe let them know about it.

Third, I'm going to be unable to do much but lay around for the next little while, so I would love some movie recommendations. If you would put a list of your favorites in the comments, that would be awesome. For a few weeks my life is going to not be much besides reading, writing and movies. Ok, so its mostly like that anyway, but still...

Anyway, thank you so much for all your help and support. I'm pretty excited to get this over with and move on to the next adventure, but I hope to use the next few weeks to really crack down on my book. We'll see how everything goes.

Sarah Allen