The Hypothyroid Writer: Seven daily habits that will heal your brain, feed your creative genius, and help you write like never before.Interview Questions
Q: The Hypothyroid Writer is a unique take on writing along with a medical condition. How long did it take you to write it and do you plan on writing any similar books?
A: I started writing the book in June of this year, after joining a self-publishing program (Self-PublishingSchool.com). It was published in October after a month of preparation that included self-editing, professional editing, formatting, and book cover design. I’m hoping to streamline the process for the next book, so it won’t take quite as long to get from the mind-map and outline to launch day.
I do plan on writing several more books, though not all will relate to hypothyroidism or related medical conditions. I’m working on the next book idea right now, but I have some work to do yet to choose the best focus for it.
Q: How can writing help people suffering from hypothyroidism?
A: For me, writing has been essential for sorting out my own chaotic thoughts and making sense of what I want to learn. It also has improved my communication skills -- both written and oral. I find it’s easier to speak coherently once I’ve ordered my thinking by writing it down and making sense of it first. I need time and quiet to process what I’ve heard, read, or observed before I can integrate it into my own thinking and express it in a way that makes sense to me and others.
Writing by hand was absolutely essential to me for surviving my college years. I couldn’t just sit down to read a textbook without my mind jumping to other things. Turning the reading into a handwriting exercise -- and a hunt for information that I wanted to remember -- was the only way I could study for a test. I could do this for hours, filling out index cards. I was also far more likely to remember something I’d written down by hand.
Many people with hypothyroidism live with brain fog, which makes it harder to concentrate, process information, and remember things. Those with congenital hypothyroidism, in particular, often struggle with learning challenges and need a different approach to learning. I struggled with reading as a child, but today I’m a voracious reader. And my love of writing -- and my gratitude for all that it has done for me -- is a huge part of that.
Q: Which writers/books inspired you when writing The Hypothyroid Writer?
A: I found inspiration in several authors and their books, including Jeff Goins (The Art of Work), Hal Elrod (The Miracle Morning for Writers), Steve (S. J.) Scott (Exercise Every Day and Confident You), Barrie Davenport (Finely Tuned: How to Thrive as a Sensitive Person or Empath), Honoree Corder (Prosperity for Writers), and Joshua Becker (Simplify), among many others. These are the ones I quoted in my book (with their permission), though I’m always finding help and inspiration in a variety of books and other sources.
Q: What are your ambitions for your writing career? Full time? Part time?
A: I’m working toward a full-time writing career that involves writing books and maintaining a blog. I’d like to develop the blog into a helpful resource and hub for my readers, but my primary focus for my writing business will be my books.
Q: When did you decide to become a writer?
A: Since childhood (or my early teens, at least), I intended to be a writer. But I didn’t know until recently that I could realistically expect to do it full time and to earn a good income. I still have a lot to learn, and for the time being, my book & blog business is my side hustle. I’m working every day, though, toward making it my only (or at least my primary) source of income.
Q: When writing The Hypothyroid Writer, did anything stand out as particularly challenging?
A: Marketing the book remains my biggest challenge. I’m learning as I go and scrambling to fill up the huge gaps in my knowledge. Writing the book itself took about two months. Getting the book cover designed was one of the most enjoyable parts of getting the book ready for publication.
Making more people aware of the book’s existence is still a daily part of my writing business work. I’m an introvert, which makes certain aspects of marketing intensely uncomfortable, but I’ve had to stretch myself to get the word out.
I also believe in paying it forward, helping fellow authors promote their books. Even if it doesn’t lead to more exposure for my own book, it helps someone else who may be experiencing the same frustration -- and it momentarily distracts me from my own.
Q: How did you come up with the idea of writing The Hypothyroid Writer?
A: I knew that millions of people in the world suffer from thyroid dysfunction. For most of them, it’s due to an underactive thyroid (or in some cases as a result of surgery to remove the thyroid gland). I reasoned, also, that a good number of those people probably also enjoyed writing. Writing had done me so much good over the years (helping me cope with undertreated and late-diagnosed congenital hypothyroidism), I believed that many hypothyroid folks would benefit from a book that would not only reinforce the benefits of writing for their brain health but would also help them improve their brain function and thrive despite undertreated hypothyroidism.
Most people who live with the condition are stuck with the standard treatment (a T4-only supplement like the one I’ve been taking all my life), and it doesn’t address all the symptoms. So, while my book is specifically for hypothyroid people who write, it can also help those with hypothyroidism who want to thrive even if their treatment isn’t helping them as much as they’d like -- whether or not they enjoy writing.
Q: What do you like to do when not writing?
A: I love spending time with my family -- my husband and our four kids. And often, when I’m not writing, I’m reading -- working on a few books at a time, switching from one to another (between other projects at home and elsewhere). I still work part-time as a lunch lady at a middle school kitchen, so that gets me out of the house, gets my blood pumping, and forces me to socialize. I have the best co-workers, who have supported me in my writing from the moment I told them about this book. They’re waiting for the paperback version to be ready and I intend to bring a copy to work and have them all sign it for me.
Q: How can readers discover more about you and your work?
A: I started a book-related blog in June, right around the time I started writing the book -- at http://www.hypothyroidwriter.com.
It’s a departure from the blog I’ve kept for three years at WriteItAnyway.com, because it’s a paid blog (where my WIA blog is a free Wordpress.com blog). I’m enjoying it, and I plan to keep writing for it and filling it with articles that will benefit or at least entertain those who read and enjoy my books.
One of my goals for the blog is to provide resources to help those with hypothyroidism to live better, keep their minds healthy and sharp, boost their energy levels, and cope with the increased sensitivity, the anxiety, and the depression that often come with the condition. Sometimes, it helps just to know that you’re not alone and that others are as interested in your story as you are. I want to encourage my blog visitors to share their stories and to know that they’re not defective.
One of the topics I hope to develop more in the coming months is the connection between hypothyroidism and the autism spectrum. As a mother with a son on the autism spectrum, I’ve wondered (during his evaluation process and afterward) about the possibility that I might be on the spectrum myself. Unfortunately the lack of insurance coverage for mental health screening means I’ll have to put an official evaluation on the back-burner for now.
There are more resources available now than a decade or more ago for adults considering an autism evaluation for themselves. Given the strong link between thyroid problems and autism, it’s an idea for a future book. But I’m still working on the particulars. I’m hoping to attract blog readers -- parents and singles alike -- who will share their stories and help me decide what sort of book on this topic would be the most helpful.