NaNoWriMo Writer? Watch Your Back, Neck, Shoulders, Arms, and Hands, Your Most Important Writing Tools

The month of November is many things, among them:  Election Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month, Caregiver Appreciation Month, and Movember. But if you're a writer, it's also something else: NaNoWriMo, otherwise known as National Novel Writing Month.

NaNoWriMo seems to be impossible: a challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. It starts at midnight on November 1 and ends at 11:59 pm November 30. We're smack in the middle of it right now. Sound crazy? It did to me when I first heard about it in 2011, a rather latecomer to the game since it started in 1999. Better late than never. Anyway, since I live with RSIs and Thoracic Outlet Syndrome the concept of NaNoWriMo is well beyond my capabilities, but I'm still seduced by the beauty of it. 

Imagine being able to commit to writing an average of 1,667 words each day for 30 days. At the end, you'll have the first draft of a book, which over the next few months you can polish into something presentable, maybe even publishable. The possibilities astound me, a writer who's been working on the first draft of a novel for four years. I started it as part of a NaNoWriMo challenge, when I was able to produce 4,000 words over the course of a week before succumbing to a flare-up of RSIs and TOS. 

NaNoWriMo is not for writers without the stamina to sit at a keyboard for hours each day. One thousand six hundred and sixty-seven words sound easy - it's the equivalent of six and a half pages - in theory, achievable for most people who are able to keep to their commitment. But if you're someone prone to carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, bursitis, headaches, back or neck pain, this challenge will most likely exacerbate your condition and prevent future NaNoWriMo attempts. 

Photo by bertys30 via Dollar Photo Club

Maintaining the postures of keyboarding, mousing, and viewing a computer monitor requires an incredible amount of exertion, muscle control, and energy. I've heard it said that an 8-hour worker at a computer station works his body as hard as a professional athlete, using primarily the smallest and most delicate of muscles and tendons, as well as a multitude of nerves. These micro-tissues, sustaining a static posture over long periods of time, become inflamed, injured, and cause great pain. If ignored, the condition continues. If left untreated, permanent disability can result.

I'm not a killjoy. I simply don't want to see other people end up like me. It's no fun struggling to write 250 words a day and failing. It's hard to complete  a project when you have to avoid the computer for days on end. If you're wrapped up in NaNoWriMo please take care of yourself. Here are some tips:

Prepare your body for a writing session:

• Massage your hands with your favorite lotion.

• Stretch your hands, wrists, arms, shoulders, and neck. 

• Don't forget your back, which can also be overworked. 

Adjust your work space for safety:

• Make sure your monitor is an arm's length away, at a height where your eyes are focused one inch below its upper edge. 

• Use a keyboard tray. 

• Ensure it's at the appropriate height so your elbows are at rest and in a neutral position.

• You should not be reaching for the keyboard.

• Be careful with your mouse. It's the root cause of a lot of disability. I use a keyboard with a built in glide pad. Cured my five-year history of elbow tendinitis. 

• A lap top is not a desk top. Don't use it as one. The ergonomics of it are completely off and will contort your body in painful ways.

• Take the time to set your chair at the appropriate height, making sure your feet are on the floor. Use lumbar support if you have it.

Watch your posture:

• Sit up, don’t slump.  

• Hold your ears over your shoulders and your shoulders over  your hips. 

• Do not lean forward. You'll get turtle head and hurt your back.

Take frequent rest breaks:

• Use a timer. Twenty minutes is as long as you should write before taking a break. 

• While resting, do some desk stretches or stand up and stretch, have a drink of water, rest your eyes. 

• Listen to your body.

After a session:

• Stretch again. 

• Soothe your muscles with gentle massage, especially your hands.

If you have pain:

•  Don't ignore it. Respond and treat.

• Use ice or heat as tolerated on sore areas.

• Over-the-counter pain relievers, such as Motrin and Tylenol, can help. 

• Topical remedies such as Topricin, Bio-Freeze, and Capsaicin are easily available and provide relief.

• Thermacare wraps are wonderful.

• Remember to stretch gently every day.

• Limit computer time, or perform multiple short sessions each day.

If the problem continues:

• See your doctor

•  A course of physical and/or occupational therapy can ward off chronic pain issues.

• Your doctor can order prescription strength medicine such as analgesics, muscle relaxants, and topical therapies.

• Surgery is a last resort. Don't let this happen to you.

• Consult a chiropractor.

• Hire a massage therapist.

• Visit an ergonomist.

•  Stay off the computer!

Last year, 325,142 writers participated in NaNoWriMo; 59,817 completed their goal. Avoiding repetitive strain injuries can keep you in the running to someday be one of them.

Interesting fact:  

Over 250 NaNoWriMo novels have been traditionally published. They include Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants, Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus, Hugh Howey’s Wool, Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl, Jason Hough’s The Darwin Elevator, and Marissa Meyer’s Cinder.

To learn more about repetitive strain injuries and how they impact a writer's life please visit my blog My TOS Life; Broken, Not Bitter. An Authors Life with Repetitive Strain Injuries, on The Creative Penn blog; and Respect your Limitations - Live Your Dreams on The Balanced Writer.

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My Next Adventure: Middletown Thrall Library's Local Authors & Illustrators Showcase

 

For the second year, I'm working with my public library to put on an exhibit of literary and artistic talent.  On Saturday, September 26th, 34 authors and illustrators from the Hudson Valley will be at Middletown Thrall Library for its second Local Authors and Illustrators Showcase.

The Hudson Valley is rich with talent, especially literary talent. This event is a great way to give these authors and artists exposure and to introduce them to readers who may be looking for something beyond the bestsellers. These authors and artists are publishing in adult fiction, non-fiction, and children's books. This free event promises to be a wonderful opportunity for readers to meet these creatives, to learn about the publishing process, and to view books they may not have seen before. 

“This is Thrall Library's signature event," says library executive director Matt Pfisterer. "We are pleased to provide an opportunity to connect a diverse group of really talented local authors and illustrators with people who regularly come to Middletown Thrall Library in search of great reads and unique literary perspectives.”

The featured authors and illustrators include Barry Adelman, Vince Begley, Michelle Birkenstock, Sandi Bischoff, Jeanne Bogino, Dawn Bonney, Bill Braine, Frances Brown, Christina Cameron, Kevin Christofora, Pari Forood, Marc Fried, Jason Gehlert, Natalie Gehlert, Tammy Gehlert, Amy Gopel and Keryl Pesce, Wes and Barbara Gottlock, Norma Halahan, Dr. Richard Hull, Dr. Charles Isaacs, Eleanor Kuhns, Alan Lewis, Liz Matis, Barbara Neiman, Renee Pearce and Kaylin Ruffino,  Diana Slater, ML Stainer, Justine Williams and Michael Martinez, Michael J. Worden, and myself. For more info please visit the library's webpage.

These authors and illustrators represent a variety of genres including children's and YA, general fiction, romance, paranormal, fantasy, thriller, horror, crime, and memoir.

The first session (11 AM - 1:00 PM) will feature children's and young adult authors and illustrators. The second session (1:30 PM - 4:30 PM) will feature authors writing for adults.

Refreshments will be served. Author-donated items, including books, will be raffled off to attendees throughout the event.

The library is located at 11-19 Depot Street, Middletown, New York. Directions are available on the library's website.

Author Spotlight: Fantasy and Romance Novelist Tamara Grantham

Today's guest is fellow Clean Indie Reads author Tamara Grantham. She writes fantasy and romance stories including several titles in New York Times bestselling author William Bernhardt's Shine series. Here we talk about her latest release, what motivates her to write, and her book giveaway. Be sure to enter!  Welcome to Adventures in Publishing, Tamara! Please tell us your latest news.

Thanks for inviting me to speak to your readers, Marianne. My big news? Dreamthief, my first full-length novel, was just released last week! I am over-the-moon excited!

That is exciting! There's nothing like the thrill of releasing a new book.

Can you tell us a little about it?

Of course! Here's the blurb: Visiting Faythander is a nasty business. Forget the fairies and unicorns, most people come back with lost memories and mental problems. Olive Kennedy knows. She's the therapist who treats patients suffering from Faythander's side effects. Despite her empty bank account, she takes pride in her job as Houston's only Fairy World medical doctor. She's never failed to cure a client—until now. 

Traveling back to Faythander wasn't on Olive's to-do list. But she has no choice. The fate of both Earth and Fairy depends on her ability to stop an ancient being called the Dreamthief. To complicate matters, she may be losing her heart to someone who can't love her in return. Saving the world, she can handle. Falling in love—not so much.

As if battling the forces of evil wasn't difficult enough…   

I'm hooked! How did you come up with the title?

After watching the movie Inception, I thought, wouldn’t it be cool if someone could steal dreams? Thus, Dreamthief was born.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Writing has taught me that we all go through trials, and although some are better at hiding their emotions, I think it’s important for everyone to realize that we all struggle with trials. I think we would all be a bit more compassionate if we understood this. I also hope that I related that in Dreamthief. 

How much of the book is realistic? 

Since it’s a fantasy, not much.

Are the experiences in the story based on someone you know or events in your own life?

Yes. The first paragraph was written after I’d experienced what my main character, Olive, describes. The first paragraph in Dreamthief is… “I don’t believe in karma. Once, I gave twenty bucks to earthquake victims, thinking hey, maybe tomorrow my luck will change, maybe I can pay the utilities this month without sacrificing my grocery money. The next morning, my car broke down. Transmission. Nine hundred bucks. Don’t get me wrong, I still think we ought to help others, but not because we expect the universe to pay us back.” 

A few days before I wrote this scene, I had, in fact, donated $10 to earthquake victims, which was a lot of money to me at the time. I’d also had the same thought—hey, maybe if I give this money to something charitable, I’ll be able to budget the money without seeing red. The next day, our a/c broke, and cost us $400 to fix it. It was a stressful time, but at least I used it to my advantage, and it gave me the first line of my book… I don’t believe in karma. 

What's your writer story?

I started writing on September 1, 2010. I remember the date because it was a beautiful day. The leaves were beginning to change, the summer heat had cooled, and my son had started Kindergarten. I was at home with my two youngest, a 3 year old girl and 1 year old boy. I’d overcome the stresses of buying a new home in a new city, and my husband had started his 2^nd year of residency. The past year had been pretty brutal. I was a small-town Texas girl transplanted to Tulsa, Oklahoma. I’d never lived so far away from home, and my husband’s 80 hour work weeks were a killer. Luckily, I was blessed to make some friends who were true kindred spirits.

One of these kindred spirits loaned me a book called Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George. It was a fun, creative story, not unlike the stories I’d created in my own imagination. In her bio, the author wrote that she’d written the book while raising two young children and one on the way.

I stewed on this information for a few days. How did she do it? I couldn’t even find five minutes to check my email. How had she done it? And if I were to write a book, what would it be about? Would it have magic? Romance? What would my characters look like? Where would the setting be? 

I couldn’t leave all the information stuck in my head. I sat down and wrote a ten page outline about a girl named Ivy who lived on a Texas farm. I called it Forbidden. The story was a mix of Anne of Green Gables meets Tess of the d’Urbevilles, with a little magic and romance thrown into the plot. It never got published, but I still have my hopes up.

After I wrote my outline, I was hooked on writing.

I finished the first draft of Forbidden a month later on October 1, 2010.

Oddly enough, I published my first book on September 1, 2015, five years to the day that I started writing.

What books have influenced your life? 

I would be lying if I didn’t pay homage to my faith. As a Mormon, The Book of Mormon has probably influenced me the most, next to the Bible. But if we’re talking fun books, then I would say Changes by Jim Butcher, and The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis. They were both books that I would read again and again. And make me teary-eyed, which is what a good book is supposed to do.

How about a little preview of Dreamthief?

My heart broke the instant I laid eyes on my godson. His pale face peeked from his Sponge Bob blankets. He didn’t smile. I guess I’d never seen him without a smile on his face.

Dark magic. I felt it the instant I saw him. Something evil was at work here, and it was my job to find out what.

I walked to the bed and sat beside him. His eyes cracked open an inch, but he didn’t acknowledge me.

“Hi Jer,” I said and took his hand. “It’s Olive.”

His eyes closed. The unsteady rhythm of his breathing filled the room, and his clammy fingers relaxed in my grip.

What could have caused this?

Mrs. Dickinson stood by the bed. “When did this happen?” I asked her.

“Three days ago,” she replied, her voice weak. “I took him for his checkup with Dr. Hill. We came home, and he collapsed. I called Dr. Hill as soon as it happened, and he told me to bring him back in.” Mrs. Dickinson sighed, staring at the ceiling as if she didn’t want me to see her tears. “Carl is out of town. I had to leave the rest of the kids with Nigel so I could take care of him.”

“Nigel?”

“Nigel Green—Mr. Green—the foster home director. But Sissy refused to leave Jeremiah’s side.” She looked at me, pleading. “He spent two days in the hospital. They ran every test under the sun. Finally, they diagnosed him with depression.” She barked a bitter laugh. “Depression.”

Pausing, she stared at me. “Can you do anything?”

I patted his shoulder, his nightshirt soft under my fingers. Propping my mirror on my knee, I clicked it open and prayed I could help him. The mirror was never intended for children. Visitors to Faythander didn’t struggle with repressed memories until later in life, and I doubted repressed memories were causing Jeremiah to be catatonic.

The fog of Faythander light curled around the mirror’s surface. It touched my skin, warm and full of energy. I spun it around to face Jeremiah. With his face in the mirror, I started the test. If he had traveled to Faythander, he would have been in contact with any number of species. This assessment would prove it.

I took his hand in mine, feeling the familiar, crescent-shaped scar on his wrist from where he’d been bitten by a dog a few years back. Seventeen stitches. He wouldn’t go near dogs anymore. It made me realize how much this little boy had already suffered in his short life.

“What are you doing?” Mrs. Dickinson asked.

“If Jeremiah visited Faythander, one of these figurines should trigger his memories.”

“Faythander?”

“Fairy world, sort of.”

“Olive, I know you’ve been doing this for some time, and I know Dr. Hill trusts you. But fairy world?”

“It’s a lot to swallow, I know. But if you think about it, we’ve known about the place for centuries. Dragons, elves, pixies—they surfaced in paintings and writings as soon as humans learned to form words. More people have been there than you realize.”

Mrs. Dickinson stared, unconvinced, but I didn’t expect anything else.

I placed Jeremiah’s hand on the first figure, the dragon. I’d painstakingly detailed the pewter piece and placed an actual dragon scale inside the metal. If Jeremiah had seen dragons, this piece would trigger it.

Jeremiah’s eyes remained closed, unchanged except for a slight twitching behind his eyelids. The dragon didn’t have any effect.

The elf came next. I gently moved Jeremiah’s fingers over it and glanced from his face to the mirror. If he found the right figure, I could usually see the memories come to life in the glass. But Jeremiah’s face remained unchanged, the mirror empty.

Moving his fingers, I tried the Wult next. Wults aren’t really a true Faythander species. They crossed over from Earth almost fourteen hundred years ago. In those days, they were called Vikings.

I pressed Jeremiah’s fingertips to the pewter helmet and animal-skin cloak. The Wult statue had the same results as the last two. Sighing, I wondered if I had lost my touch. Usually, I would have gotten somewhere by now.

I glanced at Mrs. Dickinson. She smiled, but I pegged her as a skeptic. I’m sure she pegged me as a lunatic.

About the Author

Tamara Grantham was born and raised in Southeast Texas. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in English from Lamar University. After marrying her husband David, she followed him through his training to become a burn surgeon. Tamara and David have five active, sweet, and almost always well-mannered children, ages zero to ten years. Their two pets, June and Chester help to keep the house lively (in addition to the children.)

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New Release Spotlight: Bokerah Brumley's Paranormal Romance "ColdwaterBridegroom"

Today's  spotlight is on Texas author Bokerah Brumley's new paranormal romance Coldwater Bridegroom, available on Kindle now. The Pacific Coast, a mermaid, and a tortured artist all promise to make this an intriguing read to add to your summer TBR list. 

Synopsis:

Having grown up in San Francisco, Calder Brumen is drawn to the ocean, and he's spent his life trying to capture the beauty of the Pacific on canvas. Over time, he has become obsessed with the image of a dark haired mermaid named Gaire, and Calder struggles to explain his devotion to these portraits to his best friend. When Calder finds sandy footprints leading to the edge of his bed, he suspects that the haunting siren is real. Pursuing the truth, Calder is dragged into a murderous, underwater plot that could destroy them all. And he must choose – is the possibility of a lifetime with Gaire worth risking death for himself and everyone he loves?

Available on  AMAZON  and AMAZON UK

About the Author

Bokerah Brumley is an award-winning freelance writer. In her spare time, Bokerah enjoys climbing trees, photographing peacocks, and writing flash fiction. Two novellas and one novel are planned for 2015. She lives with her husband, five kids, and three dogs in West Texas where she serves as the blue-haired publicity officer for the Cisco Writers Club. 

Connect with Bokerah

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Don't miss a word. Follow my Adventures in Publishing. 
Subscribe here and receive a free PDF of my Kindle short story "Ino's Love."