Yes, you can be a content creator and writer, even with a disability.

Do not let a disability define who you are

The Veteran Service Officer was a courteous young woman with kind eyes. Her job was to help me file a disability claim with the Veteran Administration (VA) and she began with a series of questions. My medical record was a paper stack almost two feet high, a testament to a 15-year career cut short by injuries that led to early retirement.

“Did you ever lose consciousness while serving in the military?”

“Er, twice I believe,” I answered.

“According to your medical records, you were knocked out six times.”

“Oh, ok.”

She started to list the various times in my military career when these concussions were recorded. Looking through the records spread out on the table gave me a sense of time traveling to the specific moments when I had a bad day: Sustaining a serious head injury working at the barracks early in my career, (concussion) the head-on automobile crash while headed to the base that forever wrecked my spine (and another concussion), the cargo load connected to a helicopter at sea that nearly took me over the side of the ship (yup, concussion as well). To be sure, I had other injuries that would be assigned a rating of disability by the VA, but the multiple concussions would take their toll on me the most.

All of this later resulted in a diagnosis of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) at the VA with a succession of cognitive therapy and multiple prescriptions to help with mental focus. Nearly a decade after that office visit, I can proudly say that I am a college graduate, an aviation maintenance analyst, and a writer.

Do I still easily forget things, or have trouble with utilizing a vocabulary that was built from being a lifetime reader? Yes. Are there days and moments that frustrate? Of course. Life is not fair, nor is it easy for any of us, but I wanted to create a post sharing my journey to those out there who feel they cannot be creators due to limitations. These tips are not only for those with a TBI, but for a number of conditions that affect cognitive mental function.

(Disclaimer: The following is not a substitute for medical advice or a diagnosis by a healthcare professional.)

Accept the reality of circumstances

“Disabled.” Many of us do not even like to think of ourselves with that label, even as we take the numerous prescriptions, make our physical therapy appointments, or have that daily struggle to navigate a stairway. Yet, acceptance of one’s physical/mental condition is the first step towards gaining a semblance of control over it. A helpful philosophy comes from The Stoics of Ancient Greece: “Stoicism is a mindset and philosophy that's based on the logical premise that your mind determines your perceptions, which can be trained.”

“Your thoughts and beliefs create the world you inhabit, not external circumstances, so you ought to take responsibility for your mind.”

Now, this does not require one to become an expert in the philosophy of Stoicism to redeem the full benefits, but it does start with the right mindset that we (creators) need to have when presented with extra challenges to perfecting our craft. Understanding it may take more time to accomplish our writing goals, to get started on a project, or struggle more than others, is part of the process can be a big mental hurdle. Taking this into account and being cognizant of the limitations will help to achieve the most as a creator.

Guidelines and Resources

Topic selection and story outlines and are important elements when planning out what to write, but for those with the extra challenge of TBI these become essential. Once a topic is decided on, the next step is to put together as much of the outline as possible. Think of it as the ‘bones’ of the project that we add to later. The best technique that works for me is to imagine I am writing a research paper and to sectionalize the different parts that will be needed during the process. Keep resources at hand to assist during the writing process. Thesaurus and Dictionary Dot.com are invaluable to help find that specific word or meaning when writing.

Deadlines are flexible, but set reasonable goals

Would most of us love to sit down at the keyboard and knock out 2-4000 usable words of content daily? Of course! Is there a high probability of being able to accomplish that on the regular? No. But, it is important to push for an obtainable goal on a set basis, whether daily or weekly on the level of output one can produce. Try hard not to compare oneself to other writer production levels. What works for them is exactly that; For Them. The goal is not to become as good as someone else, it is to become as good as one can be.

Finally, Do Not Quit

Some days go by and the page remains blank with the concentration and thoughts eluding ourselves. That is OK. What is not ok is to let that page stay blank the next day. Or the next one after that. Staying the course and coming back to that page until the ideas become words is how one wins the battle. It will take commitment because this is a forever war that does not have a decisive battle to turn the tide. The only winning strategy is to wake up and make the decision, once again, to continue fighting.