How to Conquer the Bad Review Blues
The moment you’ve been dreading is finally here: your first bad review. You stare at it, wondering if you’ve misread it, then read it several more times. Each negative word feels like a tiny dagger to the heart. For some of us, there are tears. For others, there’s cursing, hand-wringing, or an inner critic that […]
Bye-Bye, Blue Light Blockers: Studies Show the Glasses Don’t Protect Your Sight against Screens
Studies Show You Don’t Need Fancy Eyewear to Protect Your Sight from Extended Screen Use Blue light-filtering glasses sound like the perfect solution to computer eye strain. Unfortunately, there’s no evidence to support their effectiveness. Systematic reviews of multiple studies, in 2017 and 2021, found no benefits to the lenses. Double-blind clinical trials found no […]
Writing with Chronic Illness: One Author’s Advice for Finding Balance
Five years ago, author L.J. Stanton’s future took a dramatic shift. An equestrian for much of her life, she’d earned an equine sciences degree in college and was training horses and teaching riding lessons for a living. Then she was diagnosed with two genetic disorders: Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). “I […]
Writing with Chronic Illness: Creative Ways to Keep Creating
Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on chronic illnesses. Early estimates indicate anywhere from 5 to 80 percent of people experience lasting symptoms after contracting COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (https://cdc.gov). They join the approximately 51.8 percent of people in the US who live with a […]
Writing with Chronic Illness
Writing with chronic illness looks much different than writing without—and so does self-care. We often think of self-care as what we see prevalent in commercials or on the internet: spa days, vacations, etc. While these are nice, self-care for the chronically ill takes on a much simpler plan. It is more about taking your medications, […]
Choosing the Right Chair
As writers, we can’t avoid spending time sitting in a chair, and this can lead to both bad posture and pain. This pain is often, although not exclusively, in the back, neck, and shoulders. When it’s time to think about a new work chair, you need to find one that meets all your needs. Budget […]
Standing Desks for Writers: Worth the Hype or An Expensive Coat Rack?
Published in 2018 by the US Department of Health and Human Services, the second edition of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans suggests that adults should sit less and move more to experience “immediate and longer term benefits for how people feel, function, and sleep.” Sit Less, Move More. Thank You, Captain Obvious. This isn’t […]
Getting the Most From Your Writing Time
Jac Harmon How many times have you heard yourself say, “If only I had more time to write”? Probably far too many. One popular and well-proven method of increasing your productivity within your available time is to alternate periods of focused work (also called “sprints”) with short rest breaks. The Pomodoro Technique The Pomodoro technique […]
“It’s Not a Real Workout”
Fitting Exercise into Pockets of Time Greg Fishbone Typing an action scene might feel like a workout. Drafting a romantic interlude might get your heart pumping. But planting your butt in a chair all day isn’t doing your cardiovascular system any favors. Prolonged periods of inactivity are unhealthy, which is why regular workout sessions are […]
Take A Wrist Break
Protecting your wrists As a writer, your wrists are crucial to your work. Whether you use pen and paper or a keyboard, repetitive actions can cause stiffness and swelling leading to pain. The most common of painful wrist conditions is Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI), but by making a few small changes to your work habits […]