I'm Suffering For My Art

I've been writing again. It's a novel I was going to send to an e-publisher because the word count was on the light side, but then I started reading some of the comments from the people who had critted it and I thought, whoa, I think this deserves to be a full sized novel.

I'm very inspired anyway. I really like this story, especially the world building. Like Touch Of Fire, it was fun to write. And I need some fun in my life.

Why?

Because the physical act of writing is so very, very painful.

I can't sit for more than a few minutes due to an injury. And I can't stand for very long due to another injury.

You're seeing a pattern here, aren't you? LOL.

Every doctor I've been to told me I had to rest both affected areas. Nothing they tried could alleviate the bursitis, and the knee injury is not serious enough to warrant surgery.

Rest, they said. Agh!

Greg will tell you that I can't simply 'rest'. My idea of relaxing is working. If I'm not working, I'm not happy. So what do I do?

Since traditional medicine hasn't helped me, I've turned to homeopathic remedies. I'll let you know in a few weeks which ones I've tried and which (if any) have worked. In the meantime I've really been in a mood to write. I'm also working on a review for a crit partner. Both require a great deal of sitting.

So far, I've tried sitting on my balance ball. That helps for ten minutes.

I've tried standing. Another ten minutes.

And I've tried writing from bed. That usually gives me thirty minutes before I have to get up and move around.

I've envisioned a complicated contraption where I would lie on a very narrow massage table, my face in that face hugger thing they use and my laptop beneath me.

My other option is buying voice recognition software. It's a little pricey and I really don't want to spend that kind of money for something that may or may not work for me. I've been checking out ebay every so often to see what's out there.

So here I am. Burning to write--with no wick in my candle.

Hmm…did that come out right?

Hope your candles are burning bright.

Comments

Sherri said…
Dictate to your hubby? ;)

Hope you can figure something out because I'm impatiently waiting for more from you, LOL. Feel better soon!
Mike Keyton said…
There was a wonderfully camp TV series called 'Jason King', its hero being an author who solved mysteries. His manner of writing was to pace his study in an oriental dressing gown, dictating his best selling novels into a dictaphone/tape recorder, I can't remember. Mind you, I seem to remember he had a sexy babe who typed everything up and stroked his moustache.
Mind you, you've got Greg.

On a serious note I do hope things get better for you. I can't see you in an oriental dressing gown
Marianne Arkins said…
Pain sucks. Seriously. I'm beginning to suffer greatly from joint pain and it makes me REALLY angry. Like you, I can't/won't slow down.

Yucca is a natural anti-inflammatory. My mom has used it to control her Rhuematoid Arthritis for 15 years. I've been taking it for two months and am finally getting some relief from my joints. Maybe you could try it (but remember, natural remedies take a little longer to work).

I know Lynn Viehl uses voice software. Maybe you could email her for info? Good luck!
MeganRebekah said…
What a struggle! I admire the fact that you are still determined to write through the pain. Keep at it!
Maria Zannini said…
Sherri: I mentioned that to my husband and he laughed (A Lot!)
Maria Zannini said…
Mike:
Ref: I can't see you in an oriental dressing gown

You can't? Wait. Let me see if I can find that picture. LOL!
Maria Zannini said…
Marianne: Boy, I hear you on 'angry'. I find it very unfair since there is so much still to do. But my motto is: If there's a roadblock, find a way to go around it, over it, or through it. The only failure is not trying.
Maria Zannini said…
Hi Megan, and welcome!

You'll find my picture in the dictionary under Mule. :o)
Heather Moore said…
Oh--how tough! I'm so sorry. 30 minutes in bed sounds like the best bet until you can get more pain-free or come up with that contraption! Or voice recognition software definitely sounds like something to look into.
Maria Zannini said…
Hi Heather! Yeah, I might have to bite the bullet on the VRS. I'm just afraid it won't work for me and I'll be out hundreds of bucks.
Dorothy said…
A guy I worked with used voice softward. You have to train it to your accent but it worked quite well. He tested it with non-native speakers, and even with them, it caught on.

He was studying how composing out loud like that affected the writing process. I can't remember his findings.
Maria Zannini said…
I'm curious on how easy (or hard) it would be to edit with this software.
Marian Perera said…
Hi Maria,

I'm really impressed that you do so much despite the pain (writing, house, garden, dogs, etc). And the candle/wick metaphor was great.

Sitting at the computer *is* something we do take for granted until we can't do it.

No practical solutions here for you, just kudos and applause for the new work. Good worldbuilding rocks.
Maria Zannini said…
Marian: I so enjoy your blog posts on world building too! It inspires me to create beyond the lines.