Comments on: A big fat done stamp (and some advice)

By: Jenn

Jenn — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 17:17:08 +0000

Meredith, you’re an inspiration. Congratulations.

By: Jane

Jane — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 18:33:23 +0000

Meredith, many congrats. I know you are happy to have this done and we will be happy to have you back at full force. We missed you. (well, I did anyway!)

By: Rachel

Rachel — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 23:02:46 +0000

Yay, Meredith! Although, if people are going to dream about me, I’d like to be a little less severe… .

By: Meredith Farkas

Meredith Farkas — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 12:54:37 +0000

Thanks y’all! I never had a problem with my wrists until I worked in circulation at a public library while getting my degree. I would spend a few hours each day just opening video boxes, sensitizing or desensitizing them and possibly rewinding them, and then closing them again. It put a lot of strain on my wrists and I actually left the job because it was interfering with my ability to perform in my classes (I did my MLIS online, so it was ALL typing). Ever since then, when I write a lot, I end up with sore wrists. My set up at work is fine; I have a foot rest thingy under my desk (great for shorties like me!) and a gel wrist rest (for keyboard and mouse) that keeps them in a good position. My problem is that I write best laying down, so I lay in bed with the computer on my lap or stomach when I was writing the book. Not exactly the best set-up, but I just have a difficult time being creative at a desk. I have my own method of typing (never learned the right way, but I’m still fast), so I’ve found those natural keyboard very difficult to use. I definitely agree though that it’s not carpal tunnel and that I should try changing my writing habits for the sake of my wrists. Thanks for the mousemitt suggestion, Sarah! They look cool!

Rick, I’m not 100% sure when the book is coming out though I’ve heard talk of very early 2007. I guess it depends on how quickly the editorial folks and all can get things going and how much editing my book needs. Walt, yeah, they asked for an electronic copy and a hard copy (of everything, even the screenshots). It wasn’t that big a deal (other than my poor printer, which seems to be recovering. It prints now but is louder than it used to be). Karen, definitely take your MFA stuff to Kinkos or something! It’s not worth risking your printer over.

By: JanieH

JanieH — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 18:05:09 +0000

Congratulations!!! I can only imagine the sense of relief you must feel in looking at your big stack of paper that will soon be a book. I am looking forward to reading it…

By: walt crawford

walt crawford — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 15:40:58 +0000

Congratulations here too.

I believe I managed to stave off impending RSI by switching to MS Natural keyboards a few years ago; I know that my wrists used to burn after 90 minutes at the keyboard, and I never have problems anymore. (Warning: Some people take to the Natural, some people can’t use it at all–and most people who aren’t touch typists find the Natural wholly confounding. Microsoft has a $20 “curve” keyboard that may offer some of the benefits of the Natural–but even a hotshot wireless Natural keyboard/mouse combo, like the one I’m using at home now, isn’t that expensive.)

I’m a little surprised that you needed to print out the final ms. as opposed to just emailing the chapters. I guess every publisher works differently. And there certainly is a sense of satisfaction in having that pile of paper.

By: dave free

dave free — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 15:03:27 +0000

That’s one impressive stack o’ paper. Congrats!!

By: CW

CW — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 03:32:50 +0000

Congratulations Meredith, and I’m REALLY looking forward to the book! It was good to see tip 3 in particular – an important lesson for me (a chronic procrastinator) to learn…

By: K.G. Schneider

K.G. Schneider — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 19:42:16 +0000

Ok, and in case that last post made it sound like I type with my feet (I wish!)… if your feet aren’t flat on the floor, and you’re balancing on your bottom, you compensate by leaning on your wrists (unless you’re on an airplane, in which case you just squirm in pain for many hours).

By: K.G. Schneider

K.G. Schneider — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 19:40:09 +0000

Good advice, Meredith et al. A couple more points in re RSI: if you are short, find a box to put your feet on or some other means to ensure your feet are flat on the ground and that you are not balancing on the edge of your spine. Take five-minute breaks every hour, even if you don’t want to; you can still work–just not at the keyboard. I went through a bad RSI problem just over two years ago, and let me tell you: it arrives in a sudden and goes away slowly. It gets awfully hard to write when your hands don’t function correctly.

On the very-long-manuscript-print-problem, boy do I hear you… I’m thinking I’ll print the final draft and then the final-schminal copy of my thesis at Kinko’s. They have hefty big ol’ printers that are spozed to do this work. Even printing out my first draft of my thesis in small chunks took forever.

Some people write best in coffee shops. Me, I don’t get that, but I’m surprised by how many people tell me they need to go to Starbucks to write. I like that very early chunk in the day, before the emails start flying.

I agree on not getting stuck in the pencil-sharpening stage. On the other hand, some of that procrastination is my “steeping” phase. As one of my teachers said this spring, if you need to clean your house to get started on writing, then by all means clean your house. Just don’t be cleaning your house a week later.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!