I have fingernails. Wait, don't just sit there looking at your monitors and thinking Yeah Eve, we all have fingernails. You've finally lost it. I have a point and if you would just bear with me I'll get to it in my own roundabout way. So I was sitting there Saturday (there being work) and looking at my hands because it was a lot better than looking at the wall of books I had to put away. Anyhoo, if I turn my hand palm up, I can see my nails sticking out beyond the ends of my fingers (no, this isn't a drug flashback of any kind). This doesn't happen very often - well, my sitting on the stool at work happens quite a bit, but the nail thing doesn't. You see, my nails are thin and fragile - they break fairly easily. Now, I'm going to digress for a moment, but then you'll see how I can quite brilliantly bring these two points together. Ready? If you've been following my blogs you'll know that I have arthritis in my hands, so holding a pencil/pen for any length of time can be quite excruciating. So I don't do longhand. I write only at the computer. Here it goes - ready for this? My nails are getting long because I'm not typing, I'm not writing. I haven't written in a few weeks (the Devlin thing, you know). See, disbelievers, there was a point to the nails story. Okay Eve, you are brilliant, but why are you telling us this? Bet you thought I couldn't read your minds, didn't you? I have a question. What is there in your life, excluding agents, word counts, etc., that tells you that you haven't been writing. An inner itch, a voice yelling in your head? What? Not that I'm curious or anything.
Oh, and for you non-writers: Apply the same question to something in your life that you are passionate about.
45 comments:
If I've not been writing, I feel as though I've been very naughty, but don't know what I've done. One of those guilty feelings, you know? So that'll be most of the time just lately. But I'm getting there.
Hope you lose your nails soon.
Dreams.
Bright, stereophonic, technicolor dreams.
Complete with people I've never seen before as characters, plots, themes, etc. Often as real as life, often quite terrifying.
My wonderful subconscious' way of venting creative ideas, I suppose.
:-p~~~~
(Raine, also a member of the weak-nail club)
I feel empty. When I have written something that I consider to be an honest effort, there is such a feeling of satisfaction.
I get very bored. I'm looking around for something to do and can't quite figure out why I don't have anything to do.
I broke one nail last night finishing up the Round Robin.
I think the world conspires against us - I finally got into my story - got a rythm and child gets sick (and uber-clingy - he's hoillering at me right now) I find a few minutes to get him clam and still and a sinus headache flairs up - I think I got a karmic papercut somewhere...
Awwww Dennie (((hugs)))
I don't think I can comment here. Everything I think of makes me seem like I have OCD. (cleaning, decorating, reading)
Um, that was a comment, sorry.
I get cranky and short of temper.
I wasn't trying to complain (my mother says I am a whiner) - just saying there is always something - and I sooo have adult ADD - which makes life especially fun 0 so give me the slightest distraction and ...
Dennie - I'm not taking back my hug. Kate Hardy has ADD, so you are in great company.
I lose weight when I don't write, which I love, but I hate not writing. Ah, so conflicted.
Get back to writing Eve, I demand it!
It's a persistent nagging feeling of discontent that won't let go of me until I do something about it. Often though, I've wound myself up into a state severe agitation about the lack of creativity, which in turns stifles any attempt to put it right. It's a vicious circle !
Oh, The Shalvis has spoken.
Yes ma'am (salute)
Brandy - yes, that would definitely be a comment.
Meretta - cranky? You? Don't believe it.
Diane - I know you will.
Raine - dream on baby - that's what makes your books so good.
Scott - Loved your entry in Jason's contest.
Marty - I do that too, which is probably why I've been bored and restless lately.
Martyn - I do that to myself too. I think its quite common for writers.
For about 15 years I had jobs in the food industry and my nails would either break or I had to keep them short. Same when I was working in the greenhouse. Now that I have not been working for the last 5 years I can wear my nails longer than before.
Every time I work in a garden(my family still let's me work on theirs) dirt constantly gets under my nail(I don't like wearing gardening gloves. I like the feel of dirt between my fingers).
Bebo wears gardening gloves - I wonder what that means? *g*
I completely agree with Jill, start writing again!
I know when I haven't done my needlepoint in a while when I don't have any marks on my hands from the needle.
Try eating Jello to strengthen your nails.
Oooh, jello!
I broke another nail ...
Hi! I'm sitting in the communication centre at Amsterdam Airport, having got in from Hong Kong an hour ago and still with a four hour wait before our flight leaves for Bristol. (It was the cheapest option.) Looking forward to seeing son Paul who has been cat/house sitting and Charlie cat of course. Managed to do some writing while I was away. Get back to it, Eve - it's a good feeling when you can be creative.
Siobhan - you're almost home! I've missed you.
I get bored........I used to daydream a lot but it's like the well is almost dry. To be honest last year (and the beginning of this year) was such a struggle writing-wise that I "work" every day because if I don't it's so easy to slack.
My goal is to get back to the habit. They say it takes 21 days to make or break a habit--I disagree.
PS my nails are like rocks--always have been--and if they get too long it hurts to type.
You'll get into the groove again Cece - I just have this feeling.
I get twitchy if I'm not writing. Can't settle to anything. As Eve says, it's the ADHD thing.(I don't lose weight, though - Jill, am envious!!)
twitchy and irritable. Oh--you mean what's different when I'm not writing?
I just get this burning sense of frustration inside me that needs some creative outlet (usually writing). My teeth grind and I get more succinct in my verbal responses until we reach the two letter word no no NO! Like a two-year old :)
I wear gardening gloves because I get rashes on my hands & my skin tears horribly when I don't wear them, not because I don't like dirt between my fingers or under my nails. So there.
And I get beotchy-er (that would be crankier than normal) and my brain gets really lethargic when I don't write or do SOMEthing creative. I know when I do write, my energy levels go up tremendously. Also my mood improves a lot when I'm working on a story.
My conscience.
Peggy - calamine lotion doesn't work either.
Kate - I'm envious too.
Toni - yes, different from normal LOL And the 2 year old works. :)
Bebo - yes, improves greatly.
Jordan - ah yes, that little thing.
I get very cranky. I feel restless and I can't get anything done. Aimless is the word.
Yeah Rene - aimless is a good word.
If I'm not writing, I'm reading. When I flip through a couple of books a week, then I know for sure I'm not writing enough!!
Loreth - I don't know - whipser works for me. *gg* I'm enjoying your site - thanks for coming by mine.
Joely - and that's another thing, I haven't been reading either.
I feel guilty and irritated.
I wore acrylic nails for years and two months ago, had them taken off and now my nails are brittle, thin and yucky. But I don't want to pay for the acrylic ones any longer and spend the time having them done I could be writing...or blogging.
When I am not writing, I read which makes me want to write.
Olga - I think the majority of us get irritable.
Sandy - I think a lot of us get inspiration from reading (and movies, and TV shows).
Well, oddly enough, I'm reading comparatively little. For lots of years I could pack away a book every day or two. That's become very hard to do. I just always seem to fall asleep.
I think I have now been conditioned to fall asleep whenever I'm lying in bed. That never used to be the case. On the other hand, I do feel exhausted most of the time and *need* a nap. Maybe I'm super-depressed or something or too weak from not eating. Argh. I wish I knew! I wish somebody knew. My nails are pretty weak but I've found that eating peanut butter or food that contains the same nutritional value does make my nails stronger.
Anyway, I'm finally going to set up my couch (some may recall that since I moved it has only 3 10" legs instead of the more stabilizing 4). However, I've found an 8" leg and with a 2"x4" under it, it should sort of equal a 10". Make sense?!? I will therefore be shifting some things around in the hope of getting my armchair free so that I can read in there.
Anybody think that might work? And read in bed, of course, only when I really *want* to fall asleep. (groan) The mind-games you have to play with yourself!!
Scott, I think that's part of my problem. I don't find much honest satisfaction in anything I'm doing. I'd better try to find it, don't you think? I think I know what you mean when you feel empty. Nothing worthwhile is being accomplished.
Oops, Eve. Was the broken nail my fault? Did I take too long? Mea culpa?
I get the feeling that we're all suffering to some degree or another from a feeling that we're not accomplishing anything worthwhile. I guess it's in us to always try to attain a goal of some sort: most of you to write; I'm trying to clean things up and minimize my TBR pile. Once I get out of the rhythm of something I easily backslide and it's almost impossible to get back in the groove. I'll say a prayer that God may help us all to get on a trail of productiveness, of feeling more complete.
For a while here I kept thinking: "Who's so unmannerly as to constantly rev his motorcycle ouside? I went to the door to have a look but as I passed my fridge I got a horrible suspicion. Was it...? Nah! I looked out the door; not a soul in sight, not a sound to be heard out there. Yep, my dear *old* fridge sounds very asthmatic. Something else for me to complain about after the abysmal shower/bath; the radiators that are falling apart. But I'm super-sensitive to noise and I'm ready to s-c-r-e-a-m!!!! Only it's 10:00 P.M. Aaaargh. Somebody give me some ear-plugs please!!!!
That's it Ruby - we backslide and then its hard to get back into that groove.
Good luck with the couch - it sounds like it might work. And I'm sorry you're having problems with the fridge.
I'm sending you some cyber-earplugs.
My laptop just sitting there unopened. The hours pass, maybe a day and I start to get paranoid. I need to write! I know this, but life stuff keeps popping up until I can't stand it anymore and I open the laptop. ;D
That life stuff. Yeah, who the hell needs it? Oh right. Us. Guess we have to learn to work around it, because I guarantee it isn't going to work around us.
Psst ... 569 words so far tonight.
Like Olga said, guilty and irritated, and also antsy. Plus I start getting new characters popping up in my head, telling me all sorts of tales *sigh*
Well at least they're popping up in your head. Mine run around nekkid.
Now see, I wouldn't mind that so much :o)
Sandy gives those nails a couple months to grow all that damanged nailbed off....
Jordan--guilt.....yeah that too *sigh*
Guilt - the grand manipulator.
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