When You’re Too Sad to Write…

Written By Jonathan Smith

April 2025

I want to start April with a confession: In my life, March 2026 came in like a lamb and went out like a lion.

My brother, who has Down syndrome, ended up in the hospital with pneumonia and bronchitis for six days. As his guardian (and doting sister), I stayed in his room for hours and hours each day, reading my MFA students’ thesis manuscripts, revising my newest book on deadline, and helping my brother to articulate his needs to health care workers. We walked lap after lap in the halls in our Oregon Ducks gear to cheer him up. We met so many wonderful nurses. He got better.

And I am so very tired.

I underestimated how difficult it can be to work with all the agencies that support an individual with an intellectual/developmental disability. Over the past nine months, I’ve experienced hostility, gaslighting, and so much depression that I—usually shot through with energy—can barely roll out of bed.

For a while, I tried to do all the things that have worked for me over decades. I woke up and made a cup of coffee and went straight to my computer.

I set my timer to write for 30 minutes, and then another 30, using the Pomodoro Method.

I told myself I could write anything I wanted; I didn’t have to work on my epic historical novel, but could instead write a query letter for a science magazine on animals that breathe out of their butts. (Don’t steal this idea, people. It’s mine!)

But I realized today that sometimes, writers simply get too sad to practice their craft.

Fortunately, the podcast Ted Radio Hour just published this excellent and inspiring discussion: Psychologist Ethan Kross on how to shift your negative emotions : TED Radio Hour : NPR . I’m particularly intrigued by the psychologist’s use of music to shift his own emotions. Have any of you tried this, and if so, what song makes you happy? (I really love “Miracle” by Caravan Palace.)

I also found this smart article from the marvelous website DIYMFA.com (for those who don’t want or need an MFA but still want a rigorous study of creative writing): “Writing Through Depression” by Leanne Sowul who shares steps for doing just that. (Step Three is “Share Your Thoughts.” I guess I’m doing that now.)

It’s humiliating to admit to despondency and exhaustion. As the oldest sibling, the caretaker, the teacher, the professional writer, I’m most comfortable in a helping role.

In the Ted Radio Hour podcast, Ethan Kross writes about how Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai calls herself by her own name and second-person pronouns while navigating difficult situations. This helps to gain a little distance from the ego.

I don’t mind sharing my self-talk with you all, because maybe it will be helpful even though it’s fairly ridiculous. It goes like this:

“Melissa needs to chill out on the couch for an hour each night with half a glass of Cabernet to rewatch the first season of Fallout, and then the second season. Her writing benefits from this close study of characterization and narrative arc. Also, this show is darkly hilarious and makes her laugh out loud until her stomach hurts.”

“Melissa also needs to write less until she feels better, and instead, cook healthy vegetarian meals and go on long walks to feed banana peels to the neighborhood pigs and listen to the audiobook version of Allison Epstein’s Fagin which is a brilliant account of Charles Dickens’ character from Oliver Twist. She needs to realize that immersing herself in someone else’s story is an excellent way to revive her own interest and energy for storytelling.”

My brother adores the country singer Kenny Chesney; my husband and I have—in these tumultous times—quoted one lyric as a bolster. I share it with you now, friends:

“Cheers, I believe this too shall pass me a beer.”

What I’m Publishing

This is the first time in years that I haven’t published anything for a month! (I’m the primary caregiver for my brother who has Down syndrome, and I spent much of March in the hospital with him as he recovered from pneumonia.)

So I’ll just remind you that my latest book is Down Syndrome Out Loud: 20+ Stories of Disability & Determination, and I’d be so grateful if you’d order a copy for your school or public library or classroom, pediatrician or child psychologist or YMCA!

My next book is Find Your Nature: 40 Ways to Deepen Your Connection to Your Flora, Fauna & Neighborhood (Timber Press, 2027). Follow me on Instagram for related fun facts and stories!

Where I’ll Be Soon

May 2, 2026--“How to Write Personal Essays for Magazines and Newspapers” at Terroir Creative Writing Festival in Dayton, Oregon.

July 31, 2026—“Writing and Publishing Life,” “First Page Critique,” and “Genre Connections” at Willamette Writers Conference in Portland, Oregon.

August 1, 2026—“The Art of the Query Letter” at Willamette Writers Conference in Portland, Oregon.

September 26, 2026—Keynote Speaker at Florence Festival of Books in Florence, Oregon.

A Few Cool Resources for Writers

Awards, Residencies, and Calls for Submissions

  • Hachette Book Group offers The Jewell Parker Rhodes Fellowship for Emerging Voices to an unagented, unpublished or self-published children’s writer. The Fellowship includes a trip to New York City to meet with editors and a $10,000 grant.

  • Do you work at a bookstore or comic store? The Susan Kamil Emerging Writers Prize offers five aspiring writer-booksellers or creator-comic retailers $10,000 to work on a full-length manuscript. Deadline is April 22, 2026.

  • The literary magazine Plothound wants stories featuring anthropomorphized animal characters, underrepresented voices, and “stories that explore the cultures and societies of animals, not just cultures and societies with animals.”

  • Earth Island Journal wants “on-the-ground reports as well as personal essays, reflections, and think pieces of varying lengths” for an issue focused on education and the environment. Pitches due April 10th.

  • Oregon Humanities has a call for submissions from Oregon-based writers on the theme of revolution. “We’re looking for stories about radical or wide-reaching change in political, cultural, and natural systems.” Deadline is April 30th.

  • Psyche’s “Turning Point” editor wants pitches and already-written literary nonfiction about life transitions, 1,400 to 2,100 words. Email editor pamela.weintraub@aeon.co .

  • Shannon Palus at Slate seeks pitches for health and science features. From Shannon, “If you’re a fun + skeptical science journalist who has a weird, big idea you’re dying to report out, maybe Slate is the perfect home for that piece.” Pitch to shannon.palus@slate.com

  • Golly, I love Longreads. They’re looking for your longform creative nonfiction right now. Feel free to think outside the box for this one; I published this with them: Families Like Ours: A Reading List for the Children of Queer Parents - Longreads

  • TASTE! editors are looking for your writing on food, recipes, and food culture. Check out their submission guidelines here: How to Pitch TASTE! | TASTE

  • Trails Magazine wants your stories about backpacking, kayak camping, bike touring…basically, any adventure that has you sleeping outdoors. I’ve worked with these editors; they’re lovely, and they pay well!

  • Self Magazine wants “stories that explore personal, community, or public health, ideally with a service element.” When you pitch to the editors, tell them how your idea will be helpful to their readers.

Okay, that’s all for now. Thanks so much for reading, and happy writing!

—Melissa

Melissa Hart is the author, most recently, of Down Syndrome Out Loud: 20+ True Stories about Disability and Determination (Sourcebooks, 2025). Find her on Instagram and BlueSky @WildMelissaHart . www.melissahart.com

Jonathan Smith
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