McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
Physical Strain of Writing/Reading
blgarver:
Does anyone else have the problem of getting thrown off their writing groove by physical discomfort from sitting so long?
If I sit for 4 or 5 hours my back starts to hurt, and my legs get all stiff, and then my mind starts to get distracted from the story. My mind is still into it, hasn't hit writer's block or anything like that. It just starts to address the physical pain and eventually I just have to stop because of the discomfort. Not that it's really painful or anything, just enough so that my brain switches priorities.
It's this way with reading, too. I can only read for a couple of hours tops before my eyes start to hurt and my neck gets a cramp.
Anyone have this happen, or have any home remedies/preventions for it?
BLG
Cathy Clamp:
Sounds like you've got an ergonomic problem (at least when writing.) You need to check out your work station. Here's how it should work, from the mouth of a career paralegal and now professional writer (so I've spent a LOT of time at the keyboard for the past 25 years):
1. When seated at your desktop or laptop, your feet should sit flat on the floor without either pressing your knees UP or dangling loose. Don't cross your legs, rest them on a step stool or tuck them behind the legs of your chair.
2. The monitor should be positioned so that when you look straight ahead, with your head and neck in a normal position, the MIDDLE of the screen should be directly in the center of your vision. That probably means (as it does for most desktop set-ups) that you'll need to raise up your monitor. I have mine sitting on bricks to achieve this. If you have to lower your eyes, you'll also be lowering your chin and causing strain on your shoulder muscles over the course of several hours.
3. Your keyboard should be positioned so that when you sit normally and bend your arms at the elbow, the keys are directly below your fingertips. Again, you'll probably need to raise or lower your keyboard--depending on the table/desk it's on.
If using a laptop, consider buying an external, plug-in keyboard so you can raise the height of the monitor. That's usually the biggest strain on your neck and shoulders.
If you mouse a lot without actually typing (when researching, etc.) move the mouse and pad to your lap instead of holding your arm at an unnatural angle. It takes a little getting used to, but you'll find it really allows you to spend more time at the screen.
Hope that helps and good luck! :)
blgarver:
Good advice.
I do write on my laptop. The issue is that I can't write at home. For whatever reason, the energy just isn't right. I've tried to arrange my desk different ways, decorate it to create an atmosphere, but nothing seems to work. I think it's because home is where I relax and veg out, not work.
So I write at Borders Bookstore, or Perkin's Restaraunt...and occassionally at Starbucks. So I'm pretty much stuck with the hight of whatever table I'm sitting at.
I know part of the problem is the chairs at Borders are wood with no cushions; very uncomfortable after a few hours. But I really like the energy in that place. Books all around, most of the people are in there to do some sort of thinking or cultivating of the mind...so there's good creative energy flying all over the place.
I guess I'll just have to tough it out and work int 4-5 hour spurts. That's about all I have anyway, since I write after I get off work at 5, and Borders closes at 10 on weekdays. But on weekends I usually get there around noon and settle in for a good 8-12 hour run.
If I can have someone come with me to watch my laptop, I usually take a break and mingle the store for fifteen minutes or so, and that helps work out the kinks in my back. But I'm very picky about who's sitting with me while I'm writing.
Anyway, thanks for the tips. I'll use them at home, at any rate.
Mickey Finn:
Another suggestion...kneeling chairs.
I'm currently trying to get one for the office, but I have to jump through corporate hoops to do so.
blgarver:
I hate corporate stuff.
What are kneeling chairs exactly?
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