The Trouble With Writing…

..isn’t really the writing (for me).

The trouble I have with writing is all the stuff that needs to come after, and the fact that most of it requires sitting in front of a computer.

I recently finished a very respectable short-story draft. I like it. It’s a fun story. I wanted to release it for Halloween under my horror alter-ego.

The thing is, it needs revision. I can do the first part on my reMarkable, which is e-ink, so easier on the eyes than a normal screen. But I still have to sit and actually *do* the markups, which is hard to find time for, and then after I get it all marked up, I will have to sit in front of my laptop and type in the changes. Then I’ll have to format the story, create covers, blurbs, and assign an ISBN or three (which reminds me, I need to see how many of those I have left), and then package it up and upload it everywhere. None of which is exceedingly difficult, I just have to make time to do it, and force myself to sit in front of a computer at home.

I sit in front of a computer all day at work, and I have a dry eye problem that isn’t really getting better. I spend an hour a week (at writing group) writing with my foldable phone and a portable keyboard, but otherwise, I dictate so I don’t have to stare at a bright screen and type (and I can walk or move around while I’m writing, if I choose).

However, the workday really isn’t my biggest issue. My biggest issue (for my eyes, I mean) is that I like to play mobile games on my phone. Pokemon (in very small chunks, so not really the issue either aside from the occasional Community Day), Elvenar, and Stardew Valley (among other games I tend to play for a day or week or whatever and then set aside for my main favorites).

That wouldn’t actually be such an issue if I *didn’t* have to stare at screens all day for work. So maybe work is the actual problem (ha!), but I need to pay bills and eat too, so…work stays (for a few more years).

Games, man. So fun, yet so hard on the eyes. *sigh* I do use eyedrops occasionally, but I tend to be sensitive to them, so not regularly.

Anyways, aside from solidifying that daily writing habit (working on it!), and daily time for markups (also working on it!), I’ve been working toward less screen time in the evenings again. Instead of sitting down for an hour of playtime after walking the dogs, I’ve been grabbing a crochet project, or a latch hook project for 45 minutes instead, and then giving myself 15-20 minutes of gaming time each evening while I watch the late local news. I pretty much stay off social media for anything more than a quick check-in here and there as well, because…scrolling is still screen time, I still tend not to blink, and it dries my eyes out just as badly as gaming.

My eyes are slowly recovering, and I should be able to add one evening of screen work in soon. I do plan to use some vacation time (I have lots, and must use it) for things like revision & all the publishing things that need doing, but unfortunately, I am the sole person doing both database admin and web development at the moment, so no real days off until that’s rectified and I have a backup (hopefully soon-ish).

Someday, when I’m living on my pension and can afford to do this full-time (5-7 years, methinks), I will be happy to sit in front of the screen for a few hours every day and turn my stories into proper books (and then spend at least an hour a day reading…heaven!).

Until then, I’ll do what I can and continue to enjoy making stuff up, no matter how long it takes to develop it into a full-blown actual Book.

And maybe write some flash to share on the blogs, since it takes far less time to appropriately dress 1k words up enough to be out in public (mostly…it is called “flash” fiction, after all).

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