Pushing Too Hard

So I managed to hurt myself.

Writing.

Being hunched over a laptop in the dark for a year is bad for you, it turns out. Who knew? Oh, a lot of people. People who use words like 'ergonomics' aren't always just trying to sell you something. Sometimes they're right.

The first draft of my newest novel is still awaiting my return, but it counts towards me saying that I wrote three fantasy novels in less than a year. Such is the indie writing mindset that it felt like I wasn't getting work out fast enough, so I pushed and pushed, paying no mind to the habits I was using in my pursuit of... I don't even know what anymore.

I've always written in the dark. I love the feeling of being cocooned with my work, sealing myself off from the world outside to focus on the one I'm building. Turns out that's really bad for you. So is hunching over a laptop in the wrong kind of chair, looking down and squinting day after day.

Protip: don't do those things. Have the lights on, sit up straight (and eat your vegetables!), go for more walks, take care of yourself. Writing (or any desk work) is harder on your body than we think it is (or give it credit for being). I'm not a doctor or expert, so it's not my place to give out advice. But I had to learn the hard way what everyone else seemed to figure out at the beginning of the pandemic.

I won't go into exactly what I did to myself, but it's kept me away from my book for weeks, and it's awful. It's like being kept away from my children! There's so much left to do, I have so many more stories to tell! As I mentioned on Twitter, I have ideas for my next six books already, and it always feels like not enough time with which to write them.

It's also why I won't be on Twitter as much. Not because it's a time sink, but because it's poisonous to my mentality. I pushed myself to breaking because everyone else always seems like they're doing more/better than me, to the point that writing three fantasy novels in one year felt like it wasn't enough. It's only since I've had enforced time away that I've realized how crazy that is!

This blog post is the most I've written since the beginning of March, a sort of trial run, and things seem okay. The idea of trying to go back to my books and failing is painful, so I started somewhere a little more... ephemeral.

I am very excited to share my books and introduce you to my new characters, but I have to slow down a little bit in order to keep being able to.

The pandemic and the spawn of 2020 keep teaching lessons, ones I hope I never have to learn again. I think (hope) that we've all learned to be kinder to each other, but you have to also remember to be kind to yourself.