The World Breaks Everyone: On Writing and Depression

Depression for Hemmingway ended with a gun shot in a newly bought house in Idaho. For Sylvia Plath, carbon monoxide poisoning. David Foster Wallace is another writer known to have taken his life after a long battle with depression.

An incredibly sad and common theme among many writers is that of a struggle with depression and mental health, which brings me to the question: why is it that so many writers battle with such darkness? 

It could be considered that depression and other mental illnesses affect writers so acutely due to the fact that writers are examiners of the world. Writers, to form their words, take in the world around them and in turn put it to the page. The world that is being examined is filled with darkness – death, disease and injustice – that it can seem no surprise that writers who serve as ‘examiners’ of the world fall into such depressive states. 

Another thought of why so many writers struggle with depression is due to the lonely act of writing itself. Writing is often done in complete solitude, without much contact with others. Our current world of isolation due to the coronavirus has hugely spiked cases of depression, thus bringing much more awareness into the idea that extreme loneliness can indeed cause depression. I am struck by the concept of loneliness itself, and its connection to creativity. It is often noted that many successful writers grew up in chaotic settings which later inspired their works – the playwright Tennessee Williams comes to mind when thinking of this as many of his characters came from his own family members. Therefore, trauma can indeed act as a great influence to writing, however, that trauma does form incredibly difficult demons to deal with.

The connection between creativity and neurosis dates back to the early stages of writings. In fact, the Greeks called it ‘furor poeticus’ – a divine, creative madness sent to an artist by the gods. Thus, it is noted that many writers throughout many different time periods have suffered from some kind of mental illness, however, it is important to add in that one does not need to be depressed in order to write a masterpiece.

Hemmingway wrote in his novel ‘A Farewell To Arms’ that ‘the world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.’ It is known that Hemmingway suffered both from severe alcoholism and of course a depression that eventually ended his life in July 1961. And yet this quote strikes me as he refers almost to Nietzsche’s well-known consideration of ‘what doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger’. The fact that Hemmingway speaks that although the world ‘breaks everyone’ many people become stronger at this ‘broken place’ gives me a kind of evidence that Hemmingway himself may have believed in a kind of hope that things would get better for him.

It is easy to fall into a trap of romanticizing the ‘depressed writer’ trope. It is dangerous for writers to believe that they must be depressed in order to be a true writer. I would argue away from this and suggest that the practicalities of writing require a lot of stamina as well as a lot of vulnerability. Therefore, a degree of good health is required. And it must be said, many writers who suffer from depression are able to use their illness as tools for their writings. As I mentioned earlier in this essay, trauma can act as a great influence and inspiration to writers, however, the demons that accompany the trauma must be dealt with.

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WRITING WHILE DEPRESSED

Moving forward, I would like to open consideration around how to write when depressed. 

 

JOURNALING

Journaling aids both writing and state of mind. It is the best tool to get thoughts out from your head and onto the page. It is important to ease the pressure off of the task of journaling, to not push yourself into trying to write something impressive or meaningful. Just write.

 

PARTAKING IN OTHER TASKS

Clean your apartment. Take a walk. Treat yourself to an overpriced coffee. Take breaks from writing to turn your focus onto something else. This will rest your mind and allow you to come back to the next page of your work fresh and ready to write.

 

READ

Read anything. Read a New Yorker magazine that has been lying around your apartment for weeks. Read that book that you’ve kept on your shelf for too long. Read your favorite poem. Reading itself has been proven to feed the mind and aid mental health as reading is a form of exercise for the brain.

 

EXPERIENCE LIFE

Go outside and take a look around. Watch the people around you. Take your journal with you and take notes, maybe you’ll find a new character or a new story idea.

 

REMEMBER YOU ARE NOT ALONE

As a writer you may find yourself in solitude often, but remind yourself not to live in complete isolation. There are always people around you to help and listen. The trauma and depression are all material but don’t forget to reach out to others when needed. 

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