Tricks of the Trade

Susan Sarah here....

I finished my book the other night. 2:30 in the morning, after days of almost solid typing. And then I got down on my knees (ok partly in gratitude and relief)...to do some yoga stretches. I knew from previous experience that if I stumbled from the keyboard to the bed, as I wanted to do, being exhausted, after a marathon typing session, I was really gonna feel it the next morning. So I stretched out the kinks, and then stumbled downstairs to watch a little mindless middle-of-the-night tv, knowing that my brain wasn't ready to shut down yet from all those words, words, words.

Jo sparked a great discussion yesterday about writing, including page counts, and I started thinking about a related aspect of the writing habit and the writing trade: writing can be very physically demanding.

Whether you’re a hare or a tortoise, whether you crank out 5,000 words when inspiration strikes and 500 another day, or if you produce 1,000 or 2,000 at a steady pace – all that typing puts stresses and strains on the body, especially hands, wrists, shoulders, neck, and back. Not to mention eyestrain. While we’re racking up those great word counts, we’re doing it because the body is cooperating. If a joint, a tendon sheath, or a spinal disc decides it doesn’t want to cooperate, the writing goes nowhere.

I'm one of those roller coaster, seat-of-the-pants, flying in the mist, leaping from one cliff to the next at a moment’s notice, sort of writers. I’m not a tortoise, I’m a hare. At first, my process goes at an unpredictable pace: 1,000 words, 500 there, 5,000 great pages out of nowhere, maybe nothing for days (figuring 250 wds = 1 page, so 1,000 words = 4 pages, approximately). Somewhere along the way I hit my stride. Then I can crank with the best of ‘em–- 5,000 words a day, twice that, three times that as I get closer to the finish line. My record on a weekend, I think, is 20,000 words (easy enough to do when the book is due on a Monday *g*). When I start cranking words like that, it’s generally pretty clean, publishable stuff, and requires far less editing than that sloppy 5,000 I wrote back in the first few chapters.

I may stay up into the wee hours, I may skip decent meals, I may eat at the keyboard while reading (email counts!). I can plow through writing the second half of a book in record time...and boy, does the body feel the effects of those mad typing sessions. Writing hangover, bigtime. Aches, pains, foggy head, all that stuff.

After years of this, and I’ve learned some tricks that work for me. I tend to feel writing hangovers in the back, neck/shoulders, and wrists. Though I’ve been lucky with no major problems, I’ve had moments –- like a cervical disc problem that showed up not in the neck, but as numbness in arms and hands while typing or handwriting. And I’ve had years of little lower back problems that made long typing sessions very difficult. Since I don’t do well with medications (being one of those super-sensitive sorts with a long list of reactions to medications and drug groups, like prednisone and ibuprofen, which fixes stuff related to writing hangovers), my little body glitches aren't easy for docs to solve. Fortunately my oldest kid is an M.D. now, so I have a ready resource of advice. And he has learned to accept that the mom solves problems in her own way.

What has worked wonders for me are tricks that fall into certain categories – ergonomics, exercise, and a little assistance from chiropracty. 

I’m not keen on exercising, and that's an understatement. But I need to, not only as I get older, but because I'm sometimes a Mad Typist. I’ve adapted and accepted the inevitable, and now I do forms of exercise that I can enjoy, like tai chi, qigong, yoga, and walking. These have helped me enormously to shake off the aftereffects of all that typing, all that sitting, all those fingers flying. When I’m deep into a book and the writing hours are really demanding, I have to stretch and balance the body, or I’m gonna feel it later in aching and stiff muscles. So just about every morning, and most afternoons, I do some form of tai chi, qigong, and stretching. I’ll go for a walk if there’s time. Walking helps the brain--the same part of the brain that handles walking also handles problem solving. When I can get out for a walk (or do a walking exercise, like treadmill or elliptical), it works not only muscles, but that part of the brain that needs to figure out that next chapter. Oh cool! I can still work on the book and exercise! This is a great advantage for writer-holics. 

Sometimes I see a chiropractor, who does a few gentle and mysterious tugs, and the alignment that he re-establishes helps keep my neck and back from tripping me up on marathon typing days.
Bless the chiropractors of the world!

When I’m deep in a deadline mode, I’ve got to be careful how I eat. Being a sensitive sort, too much of the stuff I love -- dairy, sugar, gluten, and other yummy things -- will turn me foggy, tired, and achy...and that can mean 1,000 words out the window right there.  Water, water, water, also helps the brain.
Carbs and a little sugar are necessary for a madly thinking brain. It doesn’t do well on a lot of protein, at least mine doesn’t, so if I want to think clearly, I have to go with good quality, light foods and a lot of water or tea at deadline time. If I did the pizza and coffee thing for days running...I would do less work, not more. So I save the pizza for the celebration after a book is done, so I can be miserable at my leisure.

And for me, ergonomics has worked wonders. Since I started using an ergonomic keyboard years ago, some nagging wrist pains cleared up, only to return when I use a regular keyboard (like long sessions on a laptop).
I had some lower back flare-ups that were awful, and occurring more often. The problems, I found out later (through trail-and-error, as well as the chiropractor) were related to proportion: Me vs. Furniture. Being 4'11" on a good day, often regular furniture just doesn’t fit me, and this includes regular office furniture: chairs are too big, the desk is too high, my feet don’t reach the floor, I need pillows and props everywhere just to do my job. And my back was talking, almost daily. Oww.  (Tall people can have just as much difficulty with chairs and desks, too–it’s the average size person who does better with regular furniture).
A writer friend recommended an ergonomic chair, a Herman Miller Aeron Chair. I tried one of these in a store, and fell in love with it on the spot. It felt like heaven, after struggling with a high-quality but common design office chair. The Aeron is a mesh ergonomic chair that comes in 3 sizes. I got the smallest size for shorter people (the guy in the store said, You need an A; I’ve never sold an A before, we have to special order). What this chair did for my back was like magic: virtually overnight, the problems began to vanish, and haven’t come back (unless I spend long work hours in big people furniture). Then my husband got out the saw and lowered my desk several inches, which helped a lot too.

So between the daily stretches, the ergonomic keyboard, the munchkin desk and the magic chair –- I can handle those 20,000-word weekends without the writer hangover!

How about you all, what have you discovered that works for you?

~Susan Sarah 

Comments

[Teresa]

I have almost chronic CTS at this point and use Mouse Mitts when the pain is really bad (google MM and you'll find the site) and sleep with a brace on at night. Interestingly enough, I've just started again at a gym (we moved in May) and had the trainer show me the weight machines and since I've been doing weights, my wrists have been less painful.

For the rest, I try to eat right (yogurt, fruit, nuts etc ok - dark chocolate has its place too *g*), exercise and get up from my desk at least once an hour (usually to find out what latest mischief our 1 year old cat has committed).

[Val Jones]

I work in IT and spend a lot of time at monitor, mouse, and keyboard. I've been doing this since the early 80's. I used to pay no attention to ergonomics.

That changed in March of 1998 when I herniated a disk in the C-spine. After a lot of PT, I had spinal fusion. I still have some paralysis from the injury.

Needless to say, I pay a LOT of attention to this now. I spend a lot of time on the phone and had my employer get me a headset for hands free. I got a document from the PT practice about how to arrange a computer workstation. Where to set the monitor for best motion. How high to set your chair, etc. I followed it exactly and have had no additional injuries.

I don't set off the alarms at the airport -- at least I didn't before, I'll find out with the current settings on Monday. It doesn't keep me from doing much of what I want to do, but gives me an excellent excuse NOT to do things. :)

[LorettaChase]

Very important post, Susan/Sarah. Writers need exercise. I had to learn the hard way--by developing sciatica so painful that I couldn't sit down to write--and for a time couldn't write at all. Chiropracty itself didn't do an awful lot to relieve the pain but the chiropractor did, by commanding me to WALK. So now I try to walk most days, rain, shine, snow, or sleet. Last year I started water exercise at the local YWCA--a good alternative for those beastly hot days or bitter cold, snowy ones. The thing about exercise is the energy it gives you. It can clear your head and improve your mood. I also discovered PAIN FREE--a truly beneficial book of easy exercises by Pete Egoscue.

[Nina P]

Hi Susan/Sarah

Wonderful post. So timely too. Saturday, I begin a 9 day writing retreat in my tree house. Hoping for 2000 to 3000 words a day. Can't wait.

Never gave much thought to the effect of protein when I write. And 'up' the water... I'm going to give this one a try.

As for exercise... I try. For me, walks are best. And living next to a horse farm always makes for interesting discoveries and book research.

Nina, loving Word Wenches

[Jo Beverley]

Jo here.

Great column, Susan.

The Aeron Chair. Let me sigh it again. The Aeron Chair. An incredible investment for anyone who spends a lot of time at the computer.

I encountered one in a hotel room. After half an hour working I phoned the front desk and asked, "What is this chair?"

"It's a Herman Miller Aeron Chair," she said in the smug tone of one who'd been asked before. "But it's expensive."

"I don't care," I said, and I didn't.

Best investment I ever made. Even in those marathon sessions where I'm at my writing computer 16 hours a day, my body -- my back etc -- is juuuuuussssssst fine.

I don't touch a mouse when writing my books. For this computer I use a Wacom Graphics Pad that doubles as one but is a pen, so it's much more hand friendly.

But my Aeron Chair. I love it.

Jo :)

[Susan Sarah]

Ahhhhh the Aeron Chair. Yessss.
The very one. Jo, I think you told Mary Jo, who told me, and I'm still thanking both of you! It's wonderful, and as you say, worth the expense for a full-time desk job.

My sister had really bad sciatic problems related to a couple of slipped discs (she's short too, and using that Big People furniture in her office at work did her in). She couldn't tolerate sitting for very long at all at work -- the fed. gov't. ended up buying her a new chair-- I think she got an Aeron, too.
I call it the Magic Chair. And it is.

Loretta, I agree, it's sooooo important to walk regularly, and I admire you for getting out there no matter what! I'm a weather wimp (years ago I was transplanted from Upstate New York to Maryland, I still can't handle the humidity here). You've inspired me to be better about the walking routine.

Val, I sympathize with the c-spine injury, I've had that too. I was able to conquer it with chiropractic treatment and some alternative stuff. Because I couldn't go the meds routine, it forced me to find other means, though I was lucky it was caught early and doesn't sound as serious as you've had.

Teresa, I've had the wrist problems too, and the mouse mitts look interesting. Nora R. showed me some exercises that she uses for her wrists, stretching the muscles in the hands and forearms, and I try to do those, it really helps work out the kinks!

Nina, I don't know about protein for all, but for me, if I'm working hard, which means thinking hard, I have to have some high quality carbs, or I get a buzzy feeling. The brain uses primarily sugar and water, I think, and good quality carbs convert to the sugars the brain needs to keep on thinking up good fiction!

My Son the Doctah gave me his advice on deadlines and working hard -- like when he was taking med school exams, and now when he's running all night on hospital shifts -- he says, whatever keeps you going, that works for you. If you work better on chocolate and pizza, have that, and if you think better on Chinese, order that, and eat better later, when the stress is off. *g*

Writing probably doesn't seem like a physically stressful job to all... but we who write sure learn quick how tough it can be!

Susan Sarah

[Mary Jo Putney]

Susan, your memory is correct. It was Jo who told me about the Aeron chair. I checked it out, and promptly bought one. You sat in mine, and the rest was history. :) (Though mine is the average size B chair.)

Just yesterday, I went to the same back shop where I bought the Aeron and bought a second adjustable foot rest. This is a little platform set on a metal frame so the platform tilts and adjusts as a foot rest. I already had one for my computer table, and I realized that I needed another for my desk. I, too, am a short person, and my feet don't touch the floor when I sit in most chairs. The tilting foot rest great.

For years, I've made adjustments to my work area, doing my best to stay a step or two in front of serious pain. :)

Mary Jo

[Sherrie Holmes]

I'd never heard of the Aeron chair until today. Thanks, Wenches, for mentioning it. With my back problems, I'd dearly love to have one, though it's out of my budget.

I spend a lot of time at the computer, with the resultant back, leg, and knee aches. (Who'd have ever thought sitting could be hard on the knees?!!)

My desk set-up is weird, but it works. I prop my legs on a large footstool topped by two pillows. My chair is not a typical steno chair, but a conference room chair with a larger seat and arms, and a lower back. They were so comfortable that I bought all of them when the company I used to work for closed my office. So, once my legs are propped on the footstool, I slide down in my chair until I'm almost reclining. My head rests comfortably on the padded back of the chair, and there's a pillow behind my back. My arms rest on the armrests.

Then I'm set for life! In fact, as I write this, I am almost fully reclined. It's very comfortable for computer work, though it's hard to drink from my ever present glass of water without pouring it all over my face. *g*