Wrist Redux

It’s been a heck of a week.

Just after I finished my last entry for this blog, I felt that uncomfortable twinge in my wrist that told me it was probably time to reach for the brace again.  I thought I’d done pretty good since the last time I tweaked my wrist, but over the course of the summer, the effort on the last Vasily book combined with a fair amount of unexpected work for my day job meant I spent way too long on the keyboard.  That seems to have suddenly caught up with me, which essentially means I’ve got to take a little bit of time off to let everything rest.  It’s not my first choice, for sure, but if I have any hope of getting through the writing process for my next Sean book, I really do need to let my wrist rest again.

What does that mean practically?

Mostly that these blog posts are probably going to be a little bit shorter than normal for a bit and, as much as I can, dictated using the technology I have. They may not sound the same as normal – – there’s a fair amount of editing that goes on when typing, which is not as easy to do when you’re dictating – – but the flavor will still be there.  It also means the pre-work that I was planning on doing this month is probably going to slide slightly into October, though I don’t think that’s going to shift starting date of when I begin to work on my next manuscript.  

For a writer, it’s a bit frustrating. I do know better – – especially after what happened to me last year – – but clearly, I needed another flareup to be reminded that I need to take care of myself.

On the heels of that was hearing of the unexpected passing of Dolly Parton. It’s incredibly hard for me to imagine a world in which she’s not present; she was one of those musicians who has always been with me, from my kindergarten years all the way to today.  I can hear any song from her amazing catalog and know exactly what was going on in my life at that moment. And while I didn’t have the same shared life experiences, much of the raw emotion underpinning her music was incredibly relatable and, often, timely.  My wife and I were fortunate to see her live in Phoenix many years ago, and it was an experience that I will never forget. She was a consummate performer, an amazing human, and somebody I will miss terribly.  I’ve consoled myself by listening to everything I can get my hands on as well as be watching some of my favorite movies in which she starred.

Here’s hoping next week is a bit more positive…