Undisclosed loca — no, wait, I’m actually at home.
As has become my personal Thanksgiving tradition, I’ve added some vacation days to the regular holiday days off from the DayJob, resulting in 10 whole days off. And as has also become my tradition I eschew all Thanksgiving celebration, in favor of using the time to hide away from the world and write.
I couldn’t afford to actually go anywhere (downside of a 32-hour workweek), but since my sister took off for New Hampshire to eat turkey with friends and generally socialize, I have the house to myself for five of those days, which is almost as good as going away!
I’ve been hunkered down, pounding away. tearing my hair out, and pacing.
I also had intended to do some lovely hikes, and visit the gym, and then — dammit! I did this thing to my knee that happens every now and again at inexplicable intervals.
The first time it happened, I waited a couple of weeks, hoping it would go away. Finally broke down and saw an Orthopedist, who prodded me and declared it was absolutely a torn cartilage, and spoke to me seriously about surgery. It feels like a torn cartilage, it acts like a torn cartilage, hurts like all kinds of crazy. Then we took an MRI: no discernible injury whatsoever. Nada.
So: physical therapy, bunch of ibuprofen, and I was fine. Next time it happened, I knew what to do, and it was gone in a couple of days.
So, alas, happened again this week, and I was not able to head out to the nearby park to hike in the woods, as I wanted. Nor visit the gym.
Nor drive down to Fairfield to visit some friends for a post- T-day noshfest.
And these were people I really wanted to see! Including two who are home from college, and I don’t get to see enough! Plus: world’s cuddliest cat — and I am suffering from serious lack of cat-cuddles.
Well. I did get lots of writing done. Of course, much editing and rewriting will follow. I don’t know about you, but when I declare that I’m going to write no matter what, the result will always include a certain percentage of, shall we say, dispensable prose. Still, happily, I wrote lots of words!
And so did Sabine! And so did Ann! They both completed their NaNoWriMo goals, hooray!
I’m thrilled to bits for both of them — but especially for Sabine, for whom this is the first book-length work completed.
Of course, you knew she was already a published writer, right?
So, I’m emerging today to do some writing-associated but non-writing tasks. Such as, say, blogging. Hi, there!
And other biz-type things that I really must see to.
Which I must now get back to.
Hope your days of celebration were as enjoyable as mine!
The workbook to my left is FORGOTTEN ALGEBRA, a Self-Teaching Refresher Course,  by Barbara Lee Bleau, PH.D.  If you are currently in school, and have asked your teacher why you have to study all that algebra crap, since you’re obviously never going to need it — NEWS FLASH! You will need it.
November 30th, 2013 at 10:28 pm
Hooray for writing and solitude. Too bad re hiking and driving etc but leave us not discuss bad knees or I’ll bore you with the saga of mine. But I do commiserate.
Found “Cooking the Books” on reddit, all about food in genre writing. Most everybody was discussing fantasy but I recommended your books, esp. Language of Power.
December 1st, 2013 at 9:13 am
So my son was over here yesterday, and as so often when we get together he asked plaintively “When is _City in the Crags_ coming?”
I told him you were taking time off work to work on it, and he said you ought to do a Kickstarter to get enough money to write full time, and he would totally contribute $50.
Might be worth consideration.
December 7th, 2013 at 10:21 pm
I don’t want to jump the gun — but Kickstarter plans are in the works.
There’s just some stuff I have to take care of first…
December 6th, 2013 at 5:34 am
Hey, this seems a ridiculous thing to be saying in a communication with someone I so greatly admire, but, the knee thing; you could try stretches. My sister and I both get something that sounds in the ball-park of what you describe for your knee, and stretching of the reaching-for-toes kind (it has to be at least 30 seconds per go) has totally kept it in line. I forget which muscles or whathaveyou were tightening up too much, but it messes up the knee. We both sit a lot, which I imagine you do, too, what with all the writing and all. x H.
December 7th, 2013 at 10:15 pm
Harley —
It’s not ridiculous at all — we are problem-solvers. At least, most of my friends are. Tell them something, and there’s no way they won’t offer a possible solution!
What you’re describing makes a lot of sense. And actually, I’ve got a whole slew of preventative-type stretches that I do irregularly, that I ought to do regularly.
I do sit a lot. Although (grumble grumble) it’s not the writing so much as the writing PLUS dayjob (which also involves sitting at a keyboard). I have my computer set to remind me every hours or so to get up and walk around. And possibly, if I can find a place where no one is staring at me, do those stretches and PT exercises.
December 13th, 2013 at 1:39 pm
Hot damn re Kickstarter.
Knees: don’t forget to strengthen the muscles that run beside the kneecap, which will also help keep everything in place. Hang a weight (bag with apples e.g. will do), sit on edge of table, lift up & down.
My orthopedist said “no percussive activities,” so I took karate and taught ballroom dancing. Of course I’m paying for it now but it was worth it.
December 13th, 2013 at 1:41 pm
Hang bag on ankle, I meant to say.