Writers (and readers) who are also, in their own way, fineapples. All friendly here.
Serious Advice Only
Did I come to the right place?
Nah. I know better.
But guys, I'm sick. Like head fuzzy, really don't want to get out of bed, how could I ever write anything again, sick. I'm also exhausted because I spent the last week on vacation cleaning my entire house.
I feel like a bus hit me.
To top it all off I have a seriously demanded Social and Ethics Responsibility class followed up with Biology. Yowwwzer!
So, my question for all you fine fineapples (since I know this has thus far been completely void of writing stuff) is this:
"How do you write when you're sick?
Do you just not do it? I feel like I'm using all my spoons just to write my essays for school but I know that if I get out of the habit of writing 500 words / day I'm going to regret it. Starting over is also much harder than continuing.
Do you guys start a new book / doc and put all your sicky stuff there so you can make sure it makes sense when you're clear headed? Do you down as much Nitequil as possible and hope for the best? Do you try for a certain time or lower your word count goals to accommodate?




Nuke it from orbit.
Also, honestly? Rest > work when it comes to sick. Odds are good that anything written while that sick is gonna have to be re-written anyway, so rest.
I have learned (the hard way) that wrecking yourself while sick will only make you sicker. Get well soon!
I also agree that rest is more important. First, follow what your body wants. If you feel the need to sleep the day away, then sleep and don't stress. If you are bored and truly feel the need to write, stick with easy, throw away writing exercises. At least, it'll be interesting reading after the fact.
I'll second that about the writing exercises. You can write something, though it doesn't have to be a stress-inducing Important Thing. Toss out a half page of stuck-in-an-elevator dialogue, or a noncanon funny scene, or an exploration of what would happen if the bad guys won.
Give a particularly detestable character your sickness. Let 'em suffer.
Always looking for a way to use pain in my writing ... ha! Use voice software, if available, to shout/growl/mumble your symptoms and feelings for a few moments. Could come in handy down the road for a character in similarly dire straights. ;)
Otherwise, rest. Hope you're feeling much better by the time you read this.
When under the weather I always like to re-read my treasures that really get me excited and inspired to write something stellar: Who Fears Death and Binti by Nnedi Okorafor as well as The Heartland Trilogy by Chuck Wendig are my main go-to's.
If your body's feeling up to it and it's more so your mind that's struggling, then nurturing your creativity and work ethic I find comes easier when you're at peace with yourself and your soul is content: help someone in need, volunteer your time for a cause you care about, or even just go on a walk through nature. Once I de-stress myself in these ways, I feel more capable of meeting the same word count I've set as a goal, or at the very least dedicating a solid amount of time to writing.
Just remember we're all human and we all hit walls like these - it's a natural thing and resting recharges your wits and energy!