From Adversity to Creative Writing Success

I went from struggling just to get by to becoming a bestselling author. How I Did It.

by dizanna at DepositPhotos

Some of you are aware that I’m hearing impaired but will not necessarily know the details—that is, how and when I became this way. Or that I strongly believe my deafness was one of the reasons I became a novelist. I share that story here because I truly believe that if I could overcome my challenges and become a successful author, you can, too.

Let’s go back. I was born with a mild hereditary hearing loss that grew progressively worse over many years. Hearing aids, which I began to wear as a child—most reluctantly to my parents dismay—and lip reading skills helped me cope for a while…until they didn’t. By the time I hit my thirties I had about an 80 percent hearing loss. I became an avid lip reader, and although the people I encountered obviously knew I was hearing impaired, few probably realized just how severe it was.

This was indeed a very difficult and extremely challenging time in my life, filled with highs and lows, especially career-wise. Still I adapted and kept going, with many successes and setbacks (more on that below), until I eventually had a cochlear implant when I was in my forties and most of my hearing was restored. This felt like nothing short of a miracle. I was finally able to make out many soft sounds I hadn’t heard for years, like birds singing and the tinkling of glasses when two people make a toast. I was able to enjoy music again, chat on the phone, and hear better in meetings. 

Yet perhaps surprisingly, I’ve always believed that my deafness prior to the implant was the primary reason I became an author. Let me backup again to explain. I knew from a young age  that I wanted to work with the written word, and my early career ambition was to become a writer or editor at The Washington Post or a similar publication. I even got a master’s degree in government and public administration and took journalism courses.

Unfortunately for me, this was around the time that my hearing started really declining–slowly at first and later much more rapidly– until it reached a point where I could no longer use the telephone and struggled to understand conversations in meetings. I had to face the fact that I would never succeed as an editor at a leading mainstream publication without being able to communicate with writers, publishers, interviewees, and others.

I struggled for years to find my place career wise, taking unfulfilling, unrelated jobs here and there (I was even a research analyst for a while), until I finally landed work as the managing editor of a journal at Gallaudet University. This was closer to the kind of work I’d envisioned for myself; still I was not completely satisfied. It eventually dawned on me that what I truly aspired to was not only to work with the written word but to create those words. I wanted to be a writer.

My initial instinct was to write articles for newspapers and/or magazines.  But here I faced the same challenges as before. How would that be possible if I couldn’t talk to editors and others on the phone? Or participate in meetings? For a while, it felt like my writing ambitions had reached a dead end.

Fortunately I persisted in thinking about how to pursue my dream until eventually the idea of writing a novel came to me. I had always loved to read and realized that I could write a novel regardless of my ability to hear others. I could go into my little room, pull out the keyboard, and let my vivid imagination run free. I began to devour books and magazines on writing fiction (this was in the 1990s) and how to find a publisher. My first novel, Sisters and Lovers, went on to sell more than 600,000 copies. Eleven more books followed. You can learn more about me and my books on my website..

I’m convinced that if my hearing had been normal and I had landed a job at the Post or another similar publication I would have been content and never have attempted to write a novel. I would not have been so laser focused and tenacious about reaching that goal. Due to my hearing loss, writing a novel became a burning desire; I wanted to prove to both myself and others that I could accomplish the big things I wished for despite my physical limitations. 

I have since come to believe that adversity–whether physical, emotional or situational–can be a powerful motivator. It also helps build strong coping and problem-solving skills and that resilience in turn can be used to overcome all sorts of challenges. 

The number of people, including writers, who overcame hardship and went on to reach the sky is encouraging. J.K. Rowling was a single mother living on government assistance when she created the Harry Potter series and went on to become one of the wealthiest and most successful authors on the planet. Maya Angelou became a celebrated author and poet despite enduring a traumatic childhood of racism and sexual abuse. Oprah Winfrey, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Frida Kahlo. We may not soar to the same heights as they did, but we can be inspired by them.

So there you have it. Although adversity can be challenging it does not have to prevent you from aiming for the stars. It can also serve as a catalyst fueling your passion and determination to succeed. It really depends on you and how you decide to respond to to the adversity in your life.