Wednesday, August 1, 2018

IWSG: Learning to Write Again

It's the first day of the week, so time for another Insecure Writer's Support Group post.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting!


Friday, sometime after my rather victorious Update Day post, I felt a sudden pinch on my left wrist and noticed that the small bump I had, had swollen and was now bigger and aching.

I went to my doctor and... yeah. As I suspected but didn't want to really admit, I have a ganglion. Which is... annoying to say the least when you literally cannot afford the eight-week recovery time to cut it out. (And have a needle phobia. It's enough to stand still to be injected. But to let someone put a needle into this thing to pull the fluid out--NOPE.)

That means one thing: Changing my habits to make things easier on my wrist.

And a big one is in the way I type.

See... I'm a self-taught typist, which means I've learned all sorts of bad habits over the years that pretty much came back to bite me in the ass seventeen years later. Because while doctors don't know what causes these little buggers, hurting muscles does contribute, and... well... I've been straining my wrists for weeks, spending anything between twelve and fourteen hours per day on writing. The one that had the lump already was just the one that said "ENOUGH!!!" and called it a night.

And here's the thing, for as long as my wrist is inflamed and the ganglion is being a pain, touch typing, as in that skill I never learned, is probably going to be the safest way for me to write. And I know it will be good for me. But damn it all if learning touch typing while suffering from a ganglion and with work needing to be done doesn't make me feel stupid. 

Why? Well. I've been working on a computer for years. Years. I've been writing novels for seventeen, but I've been typing... well since I've learned to write. So we're talking about 22 years' worth of muscle memory I'm retraining on short notice... without being able to really practice for prolonged periods of time and OH BLOODY HELL I'M USING THE OLD WAY AGAIN.

Ahem. 

Yeah. It's really irritating, but I'm hoping the ganglion will go down ASAP. If the touch typing doesn't do it... I guess I'll finally be caving and getting dictation software.

Anyone else get ganglions? Any tips for me? Anyone else think it's stupid of a country's curriculum to not make typing compulsory when most employment requires typing for long periods of time? 


9 comments:

  1. I've never heard of ganglions. They sound like alien body invaders. I remember when I learned to touch type. While others in my class struggled, it seemed to come really easy for me. But then, I wasn't fighting to retrain muscles. Keep at it, it'll be a breeze once you get it down. My problem is I have pretty good speed, but I make mistakes due to my dyslexia...

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  2. Never heard of them either.
    You can retrain those fingers!

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  3. I took formal typing classes in high school. Yeah, I still have a lot of very bad typing habits. Especially now there is the laptop, and lap desk.

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  4. I had typing in high school, but it was an elective.

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  5. LOL, I am going to join the others in saying never heard of them either, but it sounds painful. OUCH! I don't want to think what I would do if I could not type in he way I am used to doing. I feel for ya. Get well soon.

    Happy belated IWSG

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  6. Oh, ouch! So sorry to hear about the ganglion, and that it's been making typing so much more difficult for you. Hope the ganglion starts easing up for you soon!

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  7. I've never had a ganglion, and I didn't even know what they were until I read your post, but I'm really sorry to hear that you're suffering from one! I hope that you are able to recover sooner rather than later. Would a heating pad or an ice pack help? I should add that I have no medical background so I wouldn't know what the right treatment is.

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  8. Hope you feel better soon! Never fun visiting the doctor, but if it makes it better, it's worth it:)

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  9. Yikes! I hope it eases up soon. I fear the day I can't type like I type.

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