3 Things Surgery Taught Me about Writing

💉 On Tuesday, I had surgery on my left foot to loosen the ligament that is causing excruciating plantar fasciitis. And I realized a few things before and after the surgery. Yes, we’re having analogy time.

😡 People will give you advice when they don’t know squat.

When I asked on Facebook, “For those of you who have had the plantar fasciitis release surgery, what were the pros and cons?” I received a whole hot mess of ill-advised advice (is that a thing?) from people who did not have the surgery.

Think about that.

People tried to tell me what I should and shouldn’t do when they hadn’t even had the surgery!

How many people in your life tell you what you shouldn’t write? Who tell you that your genre is out and this one is in? Who tell you they don’t like your story in first person? Who tell you that you shouldn’t spend so much of your time on writing, and to choose a “real job”?

You have to completely shut out the stupid advice and listen to the good advice.

Finally, two friends of mine came to my rescue on that post (who had the surgery) and gave me actual answers to my questions. Those are the people you want in your life. The ones who give you good advice because they’re going through the same thing you’re going through.

😢 Stress will stop you from achieving your goals — if you let it.

This pain has ruled my life for six years. So it’s no surprise that when the week before surgery arrived, I was stressed to my limits. What if it didn’t work? What if I couldn’t handle being in a boot for four weeks? What if . . . what if . . .

Ask me if I had a meltdown 48 hours before surgery.

The stress of doing something that was good for me nearly stopped me from doing it. Writing is stressful. It just is. It’s not always fun. To combat the stress, you need to prioritize, get accountability, and take it slow.

And remember that it’s good for your soul, just like this surgery is good for my body.

🤕 Writing is painful, so push through the pain.

I can promise you there’s nothing exciting about having someone cut into your foot and move stuff around in there. And there’s certainly nothing comfortable about limping around in a gigantic, hideous boot.

Writing is a lot like that. It’s painful to let out some of your emotions. Maybe you’re writing poetry or a memoir, and you have to pace yourself word by word just so you don’t break down. Maybe the painful part is telling your family or friends that you’re publishing a book, because you know they won’t support you. Maybe the painful part of writing for you is telling yourself that you deserve to write your book — that you’re worthy enough to do it.

💊 Now, you can’t pop a magnificent pain pill to get you through the writing part, but you can find solace in online author groups and local writer groups. You can get the support you need if you just look in the right places.

I had to rely on my family this week to do the dishes, take care of the dogs, feed me, and make sure I don’t purchase things on Amazon while on pain killers. You will need to rely on writers who are in the same boat you are.

And that’s okay.

An expert editor, seasoned writer, and author-centric marketer, Shayla Raquel works one-on-one with authors and business owners every day. Her blog posts have been featured on popular websites like The Book Designer and Positive Writer. She is the author of the Pre-Publishing Checklist and her novel-in-progress, The Suicide Tree. She lives in Oklahoma with her two dogs, Chanel and Wednesday.

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