writing | Beneath The Headstone

It’s only been a couple of weeks, but it feels like a lot longer.

Two weeks ago this Saturday, I pinched a nerve in my left arm/wrist/hand. I’m not exactly sure where the damage was done, only that I have very limited use of my middle, ring, and pinky finger. Not only can I not lift them, but I have not been able to hold more than a couple of pounds, for any longer than a few seconds, before dropping whatever’s in my grasp.

Now, I believe I have been slowly regaining some use of my fingers. I am now able to lift them (maybe) a couple of millimeters each, thus allowing me to return to work on my computer for short periods of time. However, I still have very little feeling in them. Even now, I am having to retrace every other word to correct the errors I cannot help but make. The tendons in my arm ache, my fingers tingle as if between awake and asleep, and even this simplest of tasks has reached a difficulty level that is nearly beyond my ability.

Frustration has set in, along with a few other feelings I have only recently experienced through the eyes of my characters. Pain, helplessness, despair… To have something I have given myself to be limited, taken away from me, it is the ultimate punishment.

Fortunately, thirty dollars has assured I am still capable of working my part-time duties without restriction. This little beaut immobilizes my wrist, thus allowing my hand to act as a support, rather than the equal to its mate.

So. There’s that.

This is the part where I raise my right hand, point my index finger to the sky, and rotate my wrist so that it creates little circles. “WoooOOOooo! Big deal” I say while rolling my eyes.

So it pays for the bills. It does nothing toward relieving this creative pressure that’s become bottlenecked up there. Characters, nay, stories are begging for release!

*sigh*

Two weeks in, and all I get are a few measly millimeters for my efforts? My arm tightens up halfway through a sentence, causing me to pause as it unwinds, and wait for the feeling to return.

Bah.

So be it.

I will be trying to exercise my way back to health, over the next few weeks, so I hope you’ll bear with me in this recovery period. New entries are coming in my webseries. Updates on my books to follow.

Be well my friends, and I’ll try to achieve the same.

I have a lot on my mind today. Mostly about what’s in store for the many characters I have in play at the moment, from my webseries to my books, but there are some other things floating around up there as well.

A month ago today, I teased an announcement to an idea I had concocted while recovering from illness. Now, I had thought to release that info no later than the next day, but I ended up letting it go in the excitement of the starting work at a new location. (If you’ve ever worked retail during setup, especially in a grocery setting, then you’ll know the stress that also comes during that initial stage!)

Here’s what I was thinking;

Those closest to me know my passion for writing. It’s something that consumes my every free thought, and it’s something I want to do as a career. But for an indie author, at what price? While I have had some success with my first two books, sales only increase, (or remain steady) if I am on top of my game. Marketing, social media, blog writing and interaction, book signings, and more are needed in order to even do either of these things! However, as any author worth their ink knows, sales eventually dip as readers wait for the next book. At least, I’d like to think they are waiting, and haven’t moved on to another author, though such is often the case, right?

So what do I do that will help me continue to advance in my field, something that will not only benefit me, but others like me as well?

What if I offered services as a beta reader? What if a reviewer, or writing consultant?

Let me explain;

If this is something that someone would want or need, first of all, I would consider investing into it. In order for this to work for me, I would have to offer a nominal fee. As an indie author, I know more than most how tight a budget can be! At the beginning, I would be available to authors of genres I am comfortable with, but this doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be open to those I am not. I very recently reviewed a very interesting non-fiction book by Tad Pritchett, a collection of interviews from survivors of the Battle of the Bulge.

Should this interest you, please leave a comment to this post and I will do my best to answer each one of them. You can also shoot me an email at therrichardsson@gmail.com, though the turnaround could be a bit longer due to time availability.

Writing is a passion of mine. When I am not working on the computer, I’m busy filling the many college ruled pages I have available to me. Or, when those have run dry, the napkins, used homework pages my kids leave lying around, and any other bit of paper I can get my hands on.

I’m finishing two books this year, two webseries, and starting one of five planned books in a fantasy series. The characters I have in my head are screaming to be let out. No, that’s not right. They’re clawing their way out, tooth and nail. My imagination is literally bleeding stories needing to be told!

This idea I have proposed, it serves not only to better my peers and those aspiring to join us, but it also brings me closer to this passion. Combined with my own work, it’s the perfect marriage of skills designed to further this crazy dream of mine.

Of course, this idea of mine may go unnoticed. It may flounder on the sand, where it will bake into obscurity and become one with the multiverse once more. But this doesn’t take away from what I have already established, nor does it diminish the light over the road I have chosen.

Tell me then; “What are your thoughts?”

Would this be something that interests you, aspiring or established writer?

I look forward to hearing from you!

P.S. If you aren’t interested, but think you might know someone who would be, feel free to share this post with them! Thanks again!