Writing Through Pain
Victoria
Grossack
The focus of this column is writing through pain. I don’t mean emotional
pain, although there are books, articles and courses devoted to working your
way through this type of difficulty. Instead I’m talking about plain old
physical pain: when sitting at the keyboard actually hurts you and
interferes with your ability to concentrate and to create.
And, before I go further, let me say that I am not a doctor. The
suggestions here are only suggestions; you need to take stock of your own
physical situation and evaluate and treat appropriately. Your body is
your responsibility.
Personal experience
This column is, alas, inspired by personal experience. I’ve had minor
difficulties arising from too much time at the keyboard: a stiff neck,
aching wrists, swollen thumb pads. Recently, however, I went through a
period in which an injury to my shoulder rendered my right arm and hand
almost entirely useless. And I’m right-handed. I was so incapacitated
that I could barely sign my name; I began using my left hand for nearly
everything (although I never managed to learn to write with it and I never
mastered chopsticks). My right hand and arm are improving rapidly now, but
that down time gave me a real chance to meditate on the meanings of
disability and pain.
Attend to pain
Any part of your body that’s hurting can interfere with your writing
ability, but some types of pain may actually be caused or exacerbated by the
time you spend writing. (There are other pains which are not caused by
writing – for example, toothaches.) Carpal tunnel: wrist injuries. Frozen
shoulder. Eyestrain. Your thumb pad is hurting. The list goes on and on.
My suggestion is that you devote attention to what is hurting and start
doing research on the particular pain before it gets worse. Some may
call this attitude hypochondria; I consider it preventative maintenance.
After all, when the oil light in your car switches on, it’s time to change
the oil, isn’t it? If you drive too long without doing this you will damage
your car and the result will be far more expensive than an oil change.
Pain is like that: a warning signal that something is wrong. Certainly,
some pains will heal on their own, without any particular assistance from a
doctor. Others need more attention. Sometimes by taking care of something
sooner rather than later you will keep a small problem from spreading into a
large one. So, the first step is to listen to your body and to start doing
research.
Posture and position
A huge contribution to pain at the keyboard is poor posture. Poor posture
can be exacerbated by where and how you sit. Consider your chair, your desk,
how you hold your arms and your wrists; how you move your head and neck.
There are plenty of articles on this.
Variety also helps, because any position, if you remain in it too long,
may start to hurt you. Work at your desk. Work standing up if you can. Move
to a chair. Work lying down, too. Also, take breaks and walk around and get
your circulation going.
Technology can also help you. Use a different mouse, or different mice.
Control it with your other hand. Get a headset so that you don’t hold your
phone up to your ear, or use a speaker phone. Some people even use voice
recognition software, so that their hands spend less time on the keyboard.
Eyestrain
Eyestrain can be exacerbated by many hours of staring at the screen or
the printed page, and can cause headaches and other problems. To avoid this
problem, make sure your reading and writing areas have adequate lighting. If
you need to, increase the font size for your screen or your printed drafts.
If you wear glasses, make sure your prescription is current. Also make
sure that your glasses are comfortable. I wear very light-weight glasses –
they have the problem that they’re easily knocked out of place – but heavier
glasses annoy me far more.
If you wear contacts or have had LASIK, your eyes may dry easily.
Consider using moisturizing eye-drops. Also, drink more water. The water
drinking may take a few hours to take effect (it has to travel through your
system) but I know several people for whom this makes a significant
difference.
Massage
I have found massage to be extremely helpful. The first one I had after I
started having serious problems – and it was my first massage in many years
– made me more aware of my body. My licensed massage therapist focused on
the knots that were causing me the worst pain.
The knots were very severe that first time and she warned me to drink
plenty of water afterwards due to all the lactic acid she was releasing into
my system – that I might feel nauseous (which I did).
By learning exactly where my problem areas were, I became alert to how I
was stressing my body and was able to adjust my posture accordingly. I’ve
learned to put my arms and hands and wrists and shoulders down while I think
and consider what I want to type next.
Cold compresses
If you’ve had a long session at the computer, use a compress to ease the
pain before it morphs into something worse. Several people have recommended
a bag of frozen peas, because this can adjust easily to the shape of your
body.
Deep breathing
Near the end of my first session with my licensed massage therapist she
pointed out that she assumed I was breathing because I was still alive, but
that she had not noticed me take a single deep breath while I was on her
table. My lack of deep breathing had been caused in part by the severe pain
I was experiencing, but I realized that, despite having been alive for
decades, I did not know how to breathe! I found several sites on deep
breathing and practiced. It’s not as easy as you think, but it’s very, very
good for you – and unless you take deep breaths now and then, your muscles
(including your heart) may suffer from oxygen deprivation.
Nutrition and exercise
I don’t know much about this, but I’ve heard that deficiencies in
vitamins and/or minerals, such as magnesium, can cause difficulties, even
muscle spasms. I’ve also read that people suffering from whiplash should not
get too much bed rest but should get up and walk around – I expect this
helps with circulation.
At any rate, good nutrition and sufficient exercise will not just help
stave off pain, but should improve your ability to concentrate and produce.
Leave the keyboard
Do you waste time at your computer? Of course you do. You surf, spend
time on chat boards, perhaps read articles about your favorite celebrities.
My weakness is websudoku (my best score on the Evil level is just over three
minutes). Learn to stay away from these things. If you can’t give up your
vices entirely then learn to restrict your time at them.
Of course, when you’re writing, you’re probably spending time at your
computer. Find alternative ways for doing your work, such as printing out
your pages and reviewing them the old-fashioned way. This may not be so good
for trees, but it’s often a good way to take another look at your writing –
and it can help you work through the pain.
You may need to restrict your writing times. This can be frustrating to
do, but sometimes necessary. Some people learn to concentrate while they’re
working and produce a thousand words per hour.
Get help
See a doctor. As mentioned above, get medical help when and if you need
it – and not just for injuries associated with writing! I don’t belong to
that group of people who believe that it is an admirable trait to soldier on
in the face of treatable physical problems. If a condition is untreatable,
either due to the fact that it’s something that medicine does not yet know
how to treat, or because there’s an emergency situation, where treatment is
scarce or not available, then I’m prepared to admire those who soldier on.
Otherwise, I believe in taking care of your body, promptly and thoroughly.
After all, it has to last you your entire life! How well you take care of it
may determine both the quality of life as well as your quantity.
Use pain in your writing
I actually had a character with a serious shoulder injury in my story at
the time my right arm and shoulder were hurting, and I was able to not only
relate to the pain, but could determine the limitations of the character’s
ability to use his arm.
Pain is for many people, a large part of life – part of the human
condition. It makes sense to use it in your stories. You’ve got some lemons
– make some lemonade.
Use your writing to overcome your pain
I believe that writing – an absorbing creative state – can also distract
you from your pain. So far I’ve written as if it’s matter over mind – but I
like to believe that it’s also mind over matter. Last December, my right arm
and shoulder were in agony, so much that I had trouble sleeping. But
sometimes, stretched out on the couch with pillows supporting the injured
member, I was able to type on my manuscript with my left hand. The time I
spent working on the manuscript (which is currently with my agent) helped me
get through that period of horrible pain, by giving me something else to
think about. In fact, even when the pain was so bad that I could not
actually type, I was still able to think about the story and mentally work
through some of the plot issues.
Conclusion
I hope you’re not hurting, but if you are, I hope this column encourages
you to overcome your problems and write on.
Questions? Comments? You wish to use this article? Contact me at
grossackva at yahoo dot com.
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