Darn that word counter--it must be stuck!

That small dent I mentioned in my last post remains a small dent. It's been a busy few weeks, between getting my husband and son off to UNT orientation for most of a week, and spending a day and one night up there with them, meeting up with four of the ladies in my online writing group a few times while they attended the RWA National conference in Dallas, and ... a stomach virus. Woo!

My hand is steadily better, although it gives me more trouble some days than others. I had to reschedule the appointment with the specialist because of the aforementioned virus. Now I'll be waiting until August, but I'm hoping by then, it'll be completely better on its own because of the exercises and vitamins and I won't even need to go. *Crossing the fingers that will still cross* ;-)

I've read some amazing books during my forced rest this summer. Last week, I finished both The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver) and The Kindness of Strangers (Katrina Kittle). Each left me somewhat subdued and speechless. (I've been speechless a lot lately--weird stuff!) I recommend both, but don't start the Kingsolver until you have plenty of time, because it'll take you a while to get through it and then to digest it completely, or the Kittle until you have about a day or two where you have absolutely nothing to do, because you won't be able to put it down.

Both make you think hard. A little too hard at times, to be honest, but sometimes we need that. I've gotten to the point where I recognize a writer who is skilled at their craft, and both of these authors are top notch. Even if the writing wasn't superb, the subjects would draw you in like a train wreck. The combination of both is magnetic.

Now I'm reading Before You Know Kindness (Chris Bohjalian). I got started reading his work with Midwives, at the recommendation of another aspiring writer who knows I'm trying to write similarly dark and depressing stuff (Don't laugh! it's true!). I'm not too far in on this one yet, but so far it's respectably dark and depressing as well. :-D

Also reading Jane Eyre after listening to the first 10 or so chapters on audio book and running out of re-checks from the library on that. I know I listened to a condensed version of this on tape as a kid, but I don't remember much about it. I'm really enjoying it. Starting out with the audio book gave me the voices in my head to deal with the old language, although Jane Eyre isn't as difficult as many other classics.

Saturday night while attending the RWA National awards ceremony as a guest of my online writers group friends, I got to see Linda Lael Miller receive their Lifetime Achievement Award. I also got to say hello to her at RWA's booksigning (which raised $57K for Dallas literacy projects, by the way). I met her at the La Jolla Writer's Conference last year, and was able to spend some time talking one on one with her then, and I think she actually remembered me when I talked to her last week. She is a gracious lady and so very encouraging to new writers. I'm hoping to attend the conference again this year, and she's on the schedule.


So, anyway, I said all that to say this--

CRAP! I HAVEN'T MADE ANY MORE HEADWAY ON MY WIP!!!!

(I was hoping you wouldn't notice.)

Back in the high life again ... maybe

And that's the high life as in writing with both hands, not drinking and dancing "with one hand free." :-) (Thanks, Steve Winwood.) Because for me, the high life is writing! And I seem to need both hands to do it, especially my dominant hand, for some silly reason.

After a frustrating two-week break from hands-on work on my WIP, I got back to it last night and made a small dent. It felt good, and I hope I can keep it up. I've been doing some stretching exercises and self-massage on my offending hand for the last several days and it seems to have helped a lot. Also have been taking some vitamin B supplements that could be helping. It's not perfect, by any stretch of the imagination, and I'm still going to the appointment with the specialist for sure, but I was at least able to type at the computer for several hours (with lots of stretch breaks) and still got up with a hand that felt relatively normal today.

It's hard to get back into the writing when the flow has been interrupted. I could probably have written a day or two earlier, but it took some talking to my brain and heart to get back into it last night. Once I got started, I was off and running. Just goes to show how much "showing up at the page" is such an important part of the whole process. Often, if you'll just do it, you'll be surprised at what pours out on the page.

If you're wondering at the fact that I've blogged some and obviously surfed, I've mainly worried that a long stretch of typing would make my hand feel worse or injure it more. I can type a little and take a break when blogging or surfing without losing my train of thought, but when I sit down to write, I feel like I need an uninterrupted session of a couple of hours. I may have to adjust that thought pattern if my hand doesn't ever completely heal.

It will be interesting to see what the orthopedic guy has to say (when I finally see him in another week and a half!!!). I've done lots of hunting around on the Internet, studying various thumb ailments that show up. I'm going to be one of those patients doctors hate these days--the ones who self-diagnose using the Internet. :-) I can't stand idly waiting for an appointment while my body hurts and I get nothing done, so I start looking for things I can do in the interim.

My self-diagnosis? I thought for a while it probably was the standard Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and who knows, it still could be (or that could be a compounding problem), but all drawings and photos of the hand pointing to tender spots and descriptions of problems point more to Basal Joint Arthritis or Arthritis of the thumb. I know, I know, I'm MUCH too young to have arthritis. :-D Well, actually, I guess I'm not. Apparently, I'm the typical age this lovely ailment makes itself known.

I also found this great article written for massage therapists about preventative and restorative self-care for their hands, because hands are so critical to their occupation. I think writers fall into that category as well, so I started doing the things the article suggests several days ago and it has helped. I also found range of motion exercises for the thumb here and carpal tunnel stretches here.

So, for now, I'm back on the wagon, and hope to see my WIP start growing regularly again.