As I’ve limped and rested and brain-fogged my way toward some new version of normal again, I keep coming back to a single image. One that’s followed me through more than one collapse in my life.

The Tower.

The common thread in writer’s block advice is hustle, pushing through… For disabled writers, people experiencing burnout, or those living with chronic illness or navigating grief, I think this advice can actually be harmful.

Instead of approaching it as a broad idea like “identity,” it helps when I ask a specific question and use the story to explore more. I’ll expand on this, using my own manuscript as the example.