Thursday, August 27, 2015

A Thousand Words

I'm so excited! Today was a great writing day. Suddenly I had this urge to work on an old piece and I did 1000 words in a couple of hours. It is amazing how energized you when you have a moment like that.  I'd be overjoyed to have it every day.

This morning I got Sarah off to school but got slammed almost immediately with fatigue. I sat down in the recliner with the idea I'd read a few minutes and then I'd be good to go. Not so. A few minutes and I knew I was far to gone to just read. I went to sleep for two hours. I was so annoyed and when I woke up I was basically drunk. No, not literally. I could barely walk on my feet because they hurt, my balance was way off (this is a typical symptom of RA), and it took a good 30 minute to "sober up." I was relieved it was only 10:30 but still, I could have used the two hours to work on the boxes of things I still need to sort.

I got up and got dressed and took care of some calls I had to make and organized the boxes to some degree so I can walk through the den. I can see I'm making progress but it is too SLOW! I was at the computer writing by 11:30 a.m.

I am pleased with the results. I went back over some things I knew after writing today would need to be changed. I would love to sit down and do a full outline of the story I have written and finish the last few chapters. I could do a rush ending now... I'm not happy with that idea,  but I could. I even have a potential ending already written. I dreamed it one night some time ago. LOL, I don't like the ending  because it isn't actually a happy one. I could change it, but I haven't decided to do so. I was just so happy to have two productive writing hours, I don't really care at this point.

After months of struggling to write even a third of what I did today and feeling as if I was barely making headway, imagine how it feels to get 1000 words in one sitting!

Now, if tomorrow and Saturday are as productive!

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Writing Pains

Courtsey Pixabay.com
I had great plans for writing this week. Last week really a good week for me physically although I didn't write as much as I wanted. I'm still in the throes of disorder from the ceiling repair and getting rid of the computer desk. So, it has been an unproductive week thus far.

I began it with plans but as usual, chaos dropped by and got me off track. The brakes went out on the car. Finally got those fixed yesterday.

This week has been beautiful, with cooler temperatures and sunny skies. Usually, the rheumatoid arthritis is less bothersome this time of year but I seem to be following the same course I've been on all summer. I've had a lot of pain in my hands and my neck and back have been troubling me. I finally put on a patch last night to help my neck. I had to get up and put Pennsaid solution on my hands so I could sleep. They hurt terribly and I could tell the joints in my palms were swelled. This is actually the back side of your knuckles, but you don't usually notice them... unless you're typing or holding a book.

I'd like to find solutions or work out a plan of action that would get me writing more with less pain. I often end writing sessions with neck, back, shoulder, and hand pain higher than when I started. This has a blocking effect on me and triggers avoidance. I don't want to write when my neck hurts, or my hands, or my back because, by the time I'm done I'm so bad that my sleep is affected, which in turn, increases pain levels. So, very little writing is accomplished.

I spent most of yesterday unpacking things that I packed up when I got rid of the computer desk. I don't actually have a lot of places to put the stuff and am going to look for something to replace the storage, something far smaller than that desk. I've already tossed a lot of things, so that helps, too.

I've also been reading a couple of books, one loaned to me by a friend titled Writing the Fiction Series by Karen Wiesner. It is really a good book and it isn't heavy as some of the writing books I've read. The information is clear and concise. There are several appendices in the back so the book itself isn't very long. I'm nearly through with it. I tried to read a couple of other books. I'm usually reading three or four at a time these days. One is Fiction Writer's Workshop by Josip Navakovich. I'm going to order this book. It seems really good but not a book you can sit and do in a few days. There are lots of exercise and information that needs digesting.  I got this at the library and it has to go back now, so I'm going to buy my own copy.

I know that my greatest problem is making myself write when I'm having a lot of pain. Focus and fatigue is a problem when I'm in a flare. I've been in this particular flare for over a year and so, I've had more problems with focusing and fatigue. From May through July I was forced to take naps for up to two hours a day in addition to sleeping 6-7 hours a night.  I couldn't do anything worthwhile. Reading, writing, and pretty much anything that required me to think was impossible most days. That has gotten better.

This morning I was up at 5:30 thanks to Sarah. She has a bad dream and woke me up. She went back to sleep. I did not. So I got up at six and had coffee until time to get her up. Afer she went to school I finished unpacking a box and sorting through some photos I plan to scan for family.

Now, I'm going to consider what I want to do the rest of the day. I need a  nap and it is just 10 a.m.! The yard must be cut and it looks as if it might rain. I have some stuff to write down before I forget it. I need to work on putting laundry away. Good grief, the laundry never stops!




Sunday, August 2, 2015

Flubbed It!

Yep, I flubbed it. I got 9 days in and the roof literally fell in. If you've followed along on Life on the Ledge you know I've had ceiling problems, in addition to others. That took two weeks to resolve. So, writing any story was nearly impossible.

I also had to go to Arkansas the last week of July to pick up my granddaughter and bring her home. I was gone a week. I had expected to write then too, but there was simply too much going on.

Now, the room is fixed and repainted and she was happy with the changes. The electrical problem is fixed. We got back on Friday.

But I flubbed it.

It wasn't a total loss, in my opinion. No writing is wasted and I learned some things.

1. Writing short stories, even short shorts, is harder than novels most of the time.
2. Thirty short stories in 30 days is probably impossible. But I'd like to try it again.
3. Never try to write 30 short stories in a crisis.
4. Taking my own challenge and writing the stories I managed to write inspired me and made me feel better about myself as a writer.

So, I've designed a button for myself to put on my blog. I am not ashamed of my failure. In reality, it wasn't a failure. I learned a lot. I had fun. All but that ceiling part. That wasn't fun.

Feel free to use the shorts photo if you too flubbed. If you happened to complete 30 shorts in 30 days, you can have this one.


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