‍It's common to deal with anxiety or depression in today's world, sometimes even both! As upsetting as it can be to have something you're struggling with affect an activity you love—like your writing—the reality is, brain chemistry does matter. The good news is that you can find ways to keep writing and enjoy it. In this class we'll discuss some reasons why the way you wrote at your baseline may be different than how you'll write when anxiety or depression spikes. We'll discuss different methods to try to keep writing through it, or ways to determine when and if a break from writing is appropriate and what you can use that time for instead so that you come out inspired and ready to go. While geared toward fiction writers, the things we'll discuss could benefit those working on non-fiction, memoir, and poetry.