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Award-winning author Sue Hinkin reveals how she’s learned to cope with a permanent disability and shares ideas to help other writers as well.
Published Oct 6, 2025 in Writer’s Digest
Life can transform in a moment. As a thriller writer, I try to start my books with something life changing and dramatic. Personal drama came to me, however, as I walked the dog on a mundane snowy Colorado afternoon. I slipped on black ice, suffered a traumatic concussion, and my brain has never, and will never, be the same. Dealing with permanent disability is a challenging reality to face because there is no cure, no magic wand, no super hero rescuer, no way out of this scene.
I realized early on that adjusting to a disability, whether physical, psychological, or co-existing, is largely learning to process grief from the death of the skills you used to have and the person you used to be. You will work through the proscribed stages of mourning—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. This is never a linear process and acceptance, particularly, may flicker in and out forever.
So how does one make the best of being a disabled writer, or disabled anything else for that matter? I still have a hard time labeling myself as disabled. I cycle back into denial more often than I would like. Let me suggest that you start by working your way out of the inevitable depression that comes with disabling illness, injury, or trauma. Don’t isolate, although you’ll want to. Along with talking to trusted family and friends, several of whom are writers in my critique group, I had great help from a wise therapist and I’d suggest you consider that. Most writers learned their craft via talented teachers at some point. Navigating loss, with the help of a trained clinician is no different and can be profoundly healing.
Practicing the following suggestions on how to remain productive as a disabled author will help you gain a sense of empowerment in a situation that takes so much away. Don’t get hung up on questions like “Why me?” Life isn’t fair. We must accept that unhappy truth and go forth scribbling or tapping out our stories.
8 Writerly Ideas to Help You Cope With Disability
Write
You are still a writer! Write every day even if it’s for 10 minutes, even if you just want to scream on the page. Don’t give up. Explore journaling. It’s helpful to many and potential fodder for later stories.
Seek Positivity
To survive in the ruthless publishing industry, writers must be tough and tenacious. Having a disability makes it even more challenging. Ooops, not too positive. Trying to be positive about life with disability is a critical thing to do, but it can be a form of denial as well. Picking yourself up and going forward is undeniably difficult.
My daughter gave me a gratefulness journal to help me try and shift my focus from loss to growth. It took me two years to write a word in that journal. But writers with disabilities are some of the strongest folks I know. Instead of dwelling on what you've lost, emphasize your skills and the possibilities for the future. This attitude adjustment can take as much perseverance as writing or exercising every day, but the value is profound.
Educate Yourself
Knowledge is strength. Understanding your specific disability, its potential progression, and possible complications can help you prepare for and adjust more quickly. Be sure to identify and utilize adaptive technologies and tools to empower you and minimize the impact of your disability on daily functioning. I have also learned tons through chat groups and online medical symposia which all helps me be a much better medical consumer and feel more in control of my life.
Be Involved in a Writing Community
Writers in general are often a wounded group and you’ll find comfort in knowing that you are not the only one who struggles. When I disclosed my issues to my writer friends, I was embraced by others who revealed different but similar challenges. Being honest with your disability is not whining. We are so programmed to be “strong and take it” which is a detriment to all of us. Keeps us inauthentic and lonely. This is especially true for those of us with hidden disabilities like brain injuries, chronic migraines, and conditions you can’t see.
There are many terrific organizations out there which have both in-person and online writer’s groups. Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers has been an incredible resource in my area, along with the local Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of American, Northern Colorado Writers, Lighthouse Writers Workshop, and Pikes Peak Writers. Similar writer folk can be discovered in your region.
Channel Your Experience Into Stories and Characters
In the fifth book in my Lucy Vega & Beatrice Middleton thriller series, The Rx for Murder, I wrote strong secondary characters with disabilities—a paraplegic veteran who was an intern reporter covering the Southern California military scene, and a young woman with brain damage from a car accident. Working with these two characters and watching how they adapted and learned to thrive despite their wounds, was helpful to me as I dealt with my own challenges.
Write a Blog and Help Others
Writing about your disability and sharing how you’re coping or not coping can be of assistance to others. Chat groups can also be invaluable for support and information. Helping others is always an awesome way to help yourself as well.
Be Patient
Don’t demand more than is healthy for your well-being. And don’t criticize yourself for not being able to keep the same schedule you did before the disability took hold. Please, ditch the judgement. I’ve found that more than an hour or two a day writing at the computer significantly exacerbates my symptoms. I’ve come to accept my limitations and work with them. Doesn’t keep me from hating my limitations but I’ve learned to do a lot with what I have and that brings satisfaction. I’ve also been able to complete two books and a screenplay in the last two-and-a-half years which isn’t too shabby.
Take Good Care of Yourself
Ditch the devices and get out into nature every day if you possibly can. Exercise as you are able, movement not only improves physical health but also reduces anxiety, depression, brain fog, stress, and enhances sleep quality.
Focus on a balanced diet, adequate sleep, and stress management techniques like relaxation or mindfulness practices.
Work with your healthcare providers to make sure you’re getting the treatments you need.
I was surprised to discover how many of my writing colleagues are dealing with disabilities, chronic illness, and/or traumatic personal situations. Learning to deal productively with pain and grief, which are unfortunately endemic to the human condition, is probably one of the most difficult and useful skills we can learn. We writers are blessed that writing is among the greatest coping tools available.
Remember, adjusting to a disability is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s an ongoing life memoir not flash fiction. Be kind to yourself, celebrate every small success, don’t dwell on the inevitable setbacks, and utilize the resources and support systems available to you to build a fulfilling writer’s life.
As an indie author with a small but mighty traditional Denver publisher, it seems imperative to support local independent bookstores that help market and sell our books. We indies are a hard-working, quirky and smart group of creators and entrepreneurs who strive to foster a sense of community and support local economies. Although the mega-chains offer books at cheaper prices, half of what you spend at your local bookstore stays in the community. This serves us all. Folks at your local indie store also really know books, it’s their passion. They offer the personalized service that’s rare online and in the bigger stores. In my part of the world, stores like Tattered Cover and The Bookies Bookstore (Denver Metro), Books Are Awesome (Parker), Old Firehouse Books (Ft Collins), Boulder Bookstore (Boulder), Maria’s Bookshop (Durango), Out West Books (Grand Junction) and Poor Richard’s (Colorado Springs), all fit the bill.
To find independent bookstores in your area, go to https://bookshop.org
And here's a link if you want to buy my books on their site:
Bookshop.org is an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores. Readers can find a specific local bookstore to support using the site's map - and the local store will receive the full profit! Otherwise, the order will contribute to an earnings pool evenly distributed among independent bookstores (even those that don’t use Bookshop). Very cool! Find more info here https://public-production.bookshop.org/documents/Bookshop%20Author%20Brochu….
Thank you for your support of independents wherever they are!
Photos: Tattered Cover in Littleton CO, Booksellers Kathy, Stephanie and Raphael, My fabulous Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers critique group meets at the bookstore every Thursday night.
L. Frank Baum created it and Elton John sang about that iconic road. You’ve just travelled your own long, wonderful and difficult highway as you finish a book, or even more challenging, a whole series. Now it’s time to wrap it up. When it comes to endings, whether of a relationship, an experience, an ability, or a great story, some people cry, some rejoice, others take selfies and move quickly on to the next.
Personally, I’m an endings avoider. I just finished the final book in a 6-novel thriller series. As a pantser, or rather an organic/stream of conscious-type plotter, I found crafting the ending as excruciating as writing the first page years ago. But we writers have a solemn obligation to deal with the grief of endings and properly bid the characters and the readers a satisfying final au revoir (note the avoidance), as well as plant the teaser for our next book.
Following are common types of endings in crime fiction or any fiction for that matter.
· Resolved/Tied in a Bow No loose ends, all questions answered and the fate of the characters is known. I’ve recently been watching Death in Paradise on Brit Box/Prime Video, which is a terrific example of a mystery that neatly ties up everything in the end. Carolyn Keene’s beloved Nancy Drew novels do the same.
· Happily Ever After More often in cozies and romance novels. In Little Women by Louisa M. Alcott, Mrs. March’s finals words are: “Oh my girls, however long you may live, I never can wish you a greater happiness than this!”
· Tragic This ending offers the inevitability of sadness and despair, foreshadowed from the beginning of the book. Dennis Lehane’s brilliant thriller, Shutter Island, is a classic example of a tragic ending.
· Open-Ended The open-ended finish lets readers use their imagination to spin the tale further in any direction they find interesting. In Tess Gerritsen’s I Know a Secret, the protagonist muses: “She knows I am guilty and she’ll be watching me…I am who I am, and nobody can watch me forever.”
· Twist The Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk is a twisty story where the two central characters turn out to be the same person. The ending leaves readers to reevaluate everything they’ve read. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins and Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, with their unreliable narrators, accomplish a similar end.
· Epilogue The author gives us a peek summary of what happens to the characters after the close of the story. William Kent Krueger’s epilogue in Spirit Crossing is a great example.
As you conclude a project, honor your own sense of grief. You’ve worked for years with the story and characters. Although you may feel a sense of relief or even glee at letting them go, there is inevitable sadness and anxiety as well. What’s next? Opportunity or abyss? Something meaningful has ended but as writers we are fortunate to be able to shape how the next adventure unfolds.
