Writing with Migraines

with guest author Vijaya Bodach

I am so pleased today to share some inspiring words from my friend, author, and chronic illness warrior, Vijaya Bodach, who has struggled for years with disabling migraines. When I first read her post on an SCBWI (Society of Children's Writers and Illustrators) blog, it greatly inspired me and gave me the grace I needed to get through a difficult time. I hope her words encourage you as much as they did me!

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Ironically, just as I was getting excited about diving back into my novel after a family reunion in Texas, my health took a dive. The combination of long driving days, overindulging in food and drink, lack of downtime, and a hurricane brought on the migraines with a vengeance. And upon my return I found myself in the middle of a nonfiction book project as well. I’m struggling...yet, here I am.

What many people want to know is: Can you have a writing life? Can you take on commitments with deadlines? Can you write when you feel awful?

The answer to all these questions is an emphatic YES! I’m here to give you hope that in spite of chronic illness, or perhaps because of it (yes, really), I’ve been able to forge a writing life that’s deeply satisfying. And so can you.

In spite of chronic illness, or perhaps because of it, I’ve been able to forge a writing life that’s deeply satisfying.

I started writing when I was pregnant with my second child and by the time she was a toddler, I started having deadlines. I also started having migraines, sporadically at first, then worsening, until I was sick 20 out of 30 days. Yet, I somehow managed to write steadily for various magazine and book publishers. Here’s how:

Ask for Assistance: My husband supports my writing dream and, from the beginning, took care of the children on the weekends when I had deadlines to meet. He also made supper with extras so that we had leftovers. From the time the children were small, I included them in all the cooking and cleaning. It was highly inefficient at first, but as they grew older, they became a huge help. When I won a couple of scholarships to attend writing workshops, my mother-in-law offered to care for my family, who enjoyed the extended time together.  

Be Still and Know: It was so freeing when I heard our priest say, “You are a human being, not a human doing.” I would get anxious about not being able to do many things I thought a good wife, mom, and writer should do, but these words freed me to focus on the present. I learned to define productivity in small steps—reading, writing just one scene, studying publisher guidelines—and set realistic goals. On a good day, I was on top of the world, cooking, cleaning, playing, reading, writing. On a bad day, I might only manage to lie in bed and read and pray, sing a psalm or two to myself, do the wash, write an encouraging note to a friend. And it’s enough.  

Cut out Everything Non-Essential: Being chronically ill has been a blessing for me, because it forced me to take stock and focus my limited energy only on what’s necessary. My essentials are: 1) God, 2) Family, 3) Writing. I didn’t know it at the time, but writing saved me from being even more debilitated—it helped me to forget the pain. When I was only having 7-10 good days each month, I stopped taking on new students and retired from teaching through attrition, even though I love to teach. I limited travel and workshops, not offering any some years, and how I missed it. I stopped going to movies, concerts, and large gatherings. As an introvert, it’s not a hardship. I cherish solitude and find it essential for this writing life.   

Writing saved me from being even more debilitated—
it helped me to forget the pain.

Daydream: I’m an expert at taking naps. It gives the brain time to synthesize ideas, dream possibilities, and be rejuvenated. My writing life actually began during naptime with my children. I think without it, I wouldn’t have made it as a writer. When I started writing this piece, it turned unwieldy. Ideas rushed forth, enough to fill a book. The structure came to me while I lay nursing a migraine, with my purring cat, three days before it was due for our regional newsletter. And I’m pleased to be able to share it with you now with only minor edits.  

Enjoy: A writing life is one of leisure in the truest sense. Being chronically ill slowed me down so that my life really became one of essentials and allowed me to enjoy and celebrate all the little things, from writing a haiku to this blog post. I hope you do too because what a gift it is to write, make a difference in people’s lives.

I could continue the ABCs of Writing with Chronic Illness but this is enough for now. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to write to me. In the meantime, here are some books and resources I recommend:

• Back in Control by David Hanscom. I recommend this book/website highly for anyone who suffers from chronic pain. Writing *is* part of the answer to managing it!

• Writing with Chronic Illness by Kristine Katherine Rusch is a short book that’s inspiring and filled with tips to manage writing while ill.  

• My reviews/summaries of a few books for people who live with chronic pain.
  Read Part I. Read Part II.

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VIJAYA BODACH is a scientist-turned-children’s writer with over 70 books published for children of all ages, with TEN EASTER EGGS for the youngest to BOUND for young adults. She has just as many articles, stories and poems in leading children’s magazines. Vijaya lives with her husband and pets in beautiful Charleston, South Carolina. To learn more, visit her website.

Photo credits: Freddie Castro and Mercedes Bosquet on Unsplash