Write Every Day, September Day #15

[auroracloud]

I'm probably not the only writer around who gets wrist and hand problems from time to time. Though in my case, it's most of the time, especially since my day job can be quite typing-heavy, too (though that goes for a lot of people). Anyway, I thought I'd share for the benefit of all you writers, or anyone else who needs it, this helpful little video by one of my favourite YouTube Yoga channels. You don't need any yoga experience or to otherwise be into yoga at all, you can just think of it as good stretches and movements for your hands to help alleviate pain and tension. (Though if you are into yoga, her channel has lots of other good videos as well. And normally she doesn't have such perky music in the beginning.)

"Yoga for Wrists & Fingers - Yoga for Wrist Cramps & Carpal Tunnel" (Watch on YouTube)

I should probably take my own recommendation and do these tonight, my hands are sore again. I did most of these movements yesterday, but I really ought to do them most days.

If anyone else struggles with hand/wrist problems as much as I do, here's another tip: wrist warmers / mitts / fingerless mittens really help. Even if it's not terribly cold at home - regardless of the temperature, the little muscles in my hands are much more likely to feel okay if they've got extra warmth around them. Make sure they cover your palms as well as your wrists, and if you're sensitive to scratchy wool like I am, you'll want them made of some soft and gentle fibre such as cashmere, alpaca, or whatever else works for you. I should try a non-wool yarn some time, maybe bamboo would work? If you don't knit or crochet, you can probably buy them from people who do without paying too much for it, or make a friend or a relative knit or crochet them for you.

Anyway, onto the actual writing!

Today's Writing

I wrote exactly 1,000 words on two different femslash ficlets, finishing first drafts of both. Though as a result one of them is now longer than a ficlet should be, but I hope I can fix that in the editing phase. Soon I really need to start editing those ficlets, since I've got several drafts but haven't edited or posted any!

In the evening I continued working on my possible-novel-to-be a bit, writing longhand in my notebook again. I in fact finished the scene I'd been working on, so next I'll have to find a new scene. I've already got ideas, though. But I am going to need to start coming up with names for more than one character.

Tally


Day 1: carenejeans, cornerofmadness, justmcshane, navaan, shopfront, sylvanwitch, trobadora, ysilme, and me. (9 so far)

Day 2: alexseanchai, brightandravenous, carenejeans, cornerofmadness, navaan,shopfront, sylvanwitch, talkingtothesky, trobadora, ysilme, and me. (11 so far)

Day 3: carenejeans, cornerofmadness, navaan, rosefox, shopfront, sylvanwitch, tinx_r, trobadora, ysilme, and me. (10 so far)

Day 4: alexseanchai, carenejeans, cornerofmadness, justmcshane, navaan, rosefox, shopfront, sylvanwitch, tinx_r, trobadora, ysilme, and me. (12 so far)

Day 5: alexseanchai, carenejeans, cornerofmadness, justmcshane, navaan, shopfront, sylvanwitch, tinx_r, trobadora, ysilme, and me. (11 so far)

Day 6: alexseanchai, carenejeans, cornerofmadness, navaan, shopfront, sylvanwitch, trobadora, ysilme, and me. (9 so far)

Day 7: alexseanchai, carenejeans, cornerofmadness, justmcshane, navaan, shopfront, sylvanwitch, trobadora, ysilme, and me. (10 so far)

Day 8: carenejeans, cornerofmadness, justmcshane, navaan, sylvanwitch, tinx_r, trobadora, ysilme, and me. (9 so far)

Day 9: carenejeans, cornerofmadness, navaan, shopfront, sylvanwitch, trobadora, ysilme, and me. (8 so far)

Day 10: carenejeans, cornerofmadness, navaan, sylvanwitch, tinx_r, trobadora, ysilme, and me. (8 so far)

Day 11: carenejeans, cornerofmadness, sylvanwitch, trobadora, ysilme, and me. (6 so far)

Day 12: carenejeans, cornerofmadness, sylvanwitch, talkingtothesky, tinx_r,trobadora, ysilme, and me. (8 so far)

Day 13: alexseanchai, carenejeans, cornerofmadness, sylvanwitch, tinx_r, trobadora, ysilme, and me. (8 so far)

Day 14: alexseanchai, carenejeans, cornerofmadness, shopfront, sylvanwitch, trobadora, ysilme, and me. (8 so far)

Let me know if I missed you, or if you wrote but didn't check in yet! And you can join in any time.

Comments

[tinx_r]

185 today :)

[sylvanwitch]

So far, I have only experienced hand/wrist issues when I've spent far too much time using the mouse to play solitaire, hidden object, and other puzzle-style computer games. (I don't do the narrative games or anything like that, just regular old time-wasters. ;-) But I do appreciate the video link because it's always good to know something I didn't before, which was that there are hand and wrist yoga moves that can help. Thank you for sharing that!

Also, wooo-hooo on that very nice word count! Go you! :-)

I wrote 1111 words today, which I tried to take as a fortuitous sign, 11 being my lucky number. The story just crossed the 15K line, and it shows no signs at all of coming to a conclusion. This is largely because I haven't figured out how it's supposed to end, so I'm going to try to spend some thinking time on it tomorrow. I really should have an outline, or it's going to turn into another monster, and it started as a total lark.

[shopfront]

Ooh, that's an interesting idea, I don't have problems now but I have so many other musculoskeletal issues that I'm always paranoid it's just a matter of time. And my hands/wrists are now by default colder for much of the year than they ever used to get at any time of yeah, even with central heating....

Forgot to check in yesterday, but put me down for then and today. Not really writing just slogging through two exchange letters which is hard enough work that stuff it I'm counting it. It's been awhile since I've had to do more than copy and tweak most of my letters, and I'd forgotten what an annoyance it was, sigh.

[cornerofmadness]

Thanks for this. I have a severe hand injury resulting in chronic pain. This might help.

As for writing, alibi sentences. I was gone at hte mothman festival boiling in my own juices today

[carenejeans]

Wow, those yoga exercises really help! I didn't do the last one because knees, argh, but the rest of them felt really good. I could feel all the little muscles going oooh, aaaah. My fingers thank you!

I only did a couple of alibi sentences for fiction, sort of a thesis statement for the creepy bookshop. I spent a lot of time on the nonfiction project.

[ysilme]

Sorry to hear about those wrist problems. The video sounds interesting, I'll check it out! I have problems with my finger joints since building that cat fence earlier this year, when I was gripping my cordless screwdriver most of the day for three or four days. Since then, everything that uses a lot of strenght or pressure, or holding small utensils, causes the problems again - like preparing fruit or veggies, knitting, and sometimes also typing. Not fun. On the other hand, I don't have wrist problems any longer since I had them so bad I couldn't type for weeks twenty years ago. I was taught how to sit and where to put my wrists in relation to the keyboard (angles of lower arms, upper arms and body) and always make sure to have a really good keyboard with a wrist support at least while working on the desktop (which I do during the day). I try to imitate that with my notebook, although it's a bit more difficult, but it works. I can't wear wrist warmers or so due to my neurodermatitis, but I wear very close-fitting working gloves while doing outside works, which indeed help a lot. I'm actually going to try to work with these when prepping fruit for canning (another task really bad for my fingers) and see if this works, too - regular gloves don't as I often cut up the slightly too long fingertips, and they were too hot inside, too, causing me neurodermatitis rashes.
(I checked out German Yoga videos for beginners, too, but the only ones that look good have such an annoying music, and the speaker speaks far too low and fast, and doesn't explain well - not really suited for unexperienced people, no matter what they claim! I'll check this channel out, though.)
In writing news, 400 words for me, plus the first major part of file sorting done on the big WIP! Now I can start the proper re-reading of what I already got.

[trobadora]

I wrote a few different snippets. Nothing long, but still. Maybe my brain's starting to work again?

Thanks for the yoga video - I'm definitely going to check that out; I do have wrist problems on occasion.

[dolorosa_12]

Thank you so much for the link to the hand yoga video (and the entire channel, as I did hatha yoga in the past and was looking for a way to get back into it that didn't involve joining a gym, which would have been my only option). I get really bad RSI from computer use, and although my standing desk at work and the brief hand and wrist exercises I do throughout the day help, I think the stretches in the yoga video will be more comprehensive and thorough.

[miss_morland]

Just stopping by to thank you for the video! I often get tense/stiff in my left hand, especially around the knuckle of my index finger (I'm left-handed, which is probably why), and I think doing these excercises regularly are very likely to make a difference.