As a writer myself, who suffers from some form of mental illness or the other, I have done a research over the years, and I have come to the conclusion that to create great art in the form of a compelling story, you have to suffer or have suffered some form of mental illness. Of cos, I don't mean one has to be mad and roaming the streets naked; there are many types of mental illnesses known to man.

As Africans, most of our Nigerian authors don't freely open up about what really goes on in their personal lives, and I couldn't get much about them to help with this article. But, most of the International authors I looked into when I was researching had suffered some form of mental illness, or are still suffering it. Big names such as- Danielle Steel, Stephen King, Edgar Allen Poe, Charles Dickens, J.K Rowling, Ernest Hemingway, Woody Allen, Agatha Christie, etc.

"When Swedish researchers combed through population registries looking for a link between creativity and mental illness, they found that writers have a slightly increased risk for depression and suicide, but their relatives do not. These results, published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, suggest that something about the life of an author tends toward depression."

-Madeline Vann


So, I ask again...has there evr been a great writer who didn't suffer from mental illness?

Your research was not thoroughly conducted. There are many writers whose brain never touched take for instance, Dan Brown, George RR Martin, chinua Achebe, Shakespeare, Sophocles, Homer etc.

Partially true on this. When I was an active script writer for my Drama team in Church known as J.C.I Entertainment, I would do lots of deep thinking and research to create a very unique story, thus given me lots of stress and sometimes depression..
From my own perspective, writers should go for constant medical check ups to ease themselves from any form of incoming mental abnormalities...

Facebook: Value Obinna
Writer//Entertainer//Hype Expert//
Email: value4music1@gmail.com
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ValueObinna:
Partially true on this. When I was an active script writer for my Drama team in Church known as J.C.I Entertainment, I would do lots of deep thinking and research to create a very unique story, thus given me lots of stress and sometimes depression..
From my own perspective, writers should go for constant medical check ups to ease themselves from any form of incoming mental abnormalities...

Facebook: Value Obinna
Writer//Entertainer//Hype Expert//
Email: value4music1@gmail.com
Contact: +2347065692296, +2348181912878

Thanks for your comment.

More on the topic...a person can't create a whole world in his/her head, with different characters, in different locations, with different mentalities and still remain totally sane.

kayo80:


Thanks for your comment.

More on the topic...a person can't create a whole world in his/her head, with different characters, in different locations, with different mentalities and still remain totally sane.

Yet, we the writers especially fictional ones don't get very attractive payment after put in lots of hard work

ValueObinna:


Yet, we the writers especially fictional ones don't get very attractive payment after put in lots of hard work

Yea. Most people don't really appreciate or understand the creativity that goes into creating a story...creating something out of nothing.

i suffer from short concentration, absent mindedness and mood swings.
i enjoy solitude to a degree that scares me.
i do enjoy me some conversations though.
i can't engage in serious important conversations on my creative periods though because all of my mind can only be devoted to one project at a time.
i can just go off from a physical to an imaginary world anytime.
over the years i have learnt to control these moments but there are slip ups though.
i think when you choose the path of writing, you choose a life of constant mind wanderings and what would make you a great writer would be the ability to control it.
it is very difficult seeing people who understand writers, and its a solitary life to live but it is who we are.
i at least have embraced myself.
i am not perfect or excusing my weirdness but i am a work in progress.

Alero3Arubi:
i suffer from short concentration, absent mindedness and mood swings.
i enjoy solitude to a degree that scares me.
i do enjoy me some conversations though.
i can't engage in serious important conversations on my creative periods though because all of my mind can only be devoted to one project at a time.
i can just go off from a physical to an imaginary world anytime.
over the years i have learnt to control these moments but there are slip ups though.
i think when you choose the path of writing, you choose a life of constant mind wanderings and what would make you a great writer would be the ability to control it.
it is very difficult seeing people who understand writers, and its a solitary life to live but it is who we are.
i at least have embraced myself.
i am not perfect or excusing my weirdness but i am a work in progress.

'I suffer from short concentration, absent mindedness and mood swings.
i enjoy solitude to a degree that scares me.
i do enjoy me some conversations though.'

You just described me perfectly.

Yeah, it really is difficult seeing people who really understand writers. I had a nairalander become my friend because she loved my stories. In fact, she said she was in love with me. I told her that wasn't possible since she hasn't even met me physically, and doesn't really know me like that. But she still insisted she was in love with me. I didn't argue again cos there was no use...i knew the phase would be over soon.

She started out complaining and trying to change every thing about me that makes me the writer she claimed to love...the solitary life, the non confirming to society lifestyle, etc. When she didn't get her way, she was able to just let me be me. But, after 6 months, she slowly started drifting away. Lol! I'm used to being my own company anyway, so life continues.

kayo80:


'I suffer from short concentration, absent mindedness and mood swings.
i enjoy solitude to a degree that scares me.
i do enjoy me some conversations though.'

You just described me perfectly.

Yeah, it really is difficult seeing people who really understand writers. I had a nairaland become my friend because she loved my stories. In fact, she said she was in love with me. I told her that wasn't possible since she hasn't even met me physically, and doesn't really know me like that. But she still insisted she was in love with me. I didn't argue again cos it was no use...i knew the phase would be over soon.

She started out complaining and trying to change every thing about me that makes me the writer she claimed to love...the solitary life, the non confirming to society lifestyle, etc. When she didn't get way, she was able to just let me be me. But, after 6 months, she slowly started driftinh away. Lol! I'm used to being my own company anyway, so life continues.

Don't worry I'm pretty sure someone will come your way and want you just as you are.
Although there will need to be some compromises. But it will be worth it.

Alero3Arubi:

Don't worry I'm pretty sure someone will come your way and want you just as you are.
Although there will need to be some compromises. But it will be worth it.

Yeah. Thanks.