Eye Strain

After spending so many hours at the computer during my rewrite, I've developed a serious case of eyestrain, to the point even reading a book causes my eyes to ache. Along the lines of don't let this happen to you, here is a copy of a helpful article from Office Ergonomics Training on how to avoid eyestrain. If you have any other suggestions I'd love to hear them!!!

A Dozen Things You Should Know About Eye Strain
1. Eyestrain means different things to different people. It can be experienced as burning, tightness, sharp pains, dull pains, watering, blurring, double vision, headaches, and other sensations, depending on the person. If you have any eye discomfort caused by viewing something, you can call it eyestrain.

2. In VDT workstations, the principal factors affecting the ability to see well are:
glare
the luminance (brightness) difference between what is being looked at and its immediate environment
he amount of light
the distance between the eye and the screen and document
the readability of the screen and document
the worker's vision and his or her corrective lenses

3. Watch out for direct glare. Direct glare involves a light source shining directly into the eyes --- ceiling lights, task lights, or bright windows. To determine the degree of direct glare, you can temporarily shield your eyes with a hand and notice whether you feel immediate relief.

4. Reflected glare, such as on computer screens, sometimes causes eyestrain. But its worst effect may be causing you to change your posture to an uncomfortable one, in order to see well.

5. The most overlooked cause of eyestrain in offices is contrast --- usually, a dark screen surrounded by a bright background such as a window or a lit wall. The best solution is to find a way to darken the area around the screen. This problem occurs mainly on screens with light letters on a black background.

6. How much light is right? It depends on your age, the quality of the print you're reading, and other factors. There should be plenty of light for easy reading, but too much can, depending on the person, cause eyestrain.

7. Eyes are strained more by close viewing than by distant viewing. The "right" distance for computer monitors and documents depends entirely on how clearly they can be read at a given distance. The general rule is to keep viewed material as far away as possible, provided it can be read easily!!!

8. If you gaze at something too long, your eyes can tire. Eyes need to focus at different distances from time to time. It's a good idea to follow the "20/20 rule" --- every twenty minutes, look twenty feet away for twenty seconds.

9. If two objects are only a couple of inches different in their distance from the eyes, the eyes actually do NOT have to refocus to look from one to another.

Greater distance differences, however, can overwork the eyes if you have to look from one object to another frequently - -- as when typing from printed copy and looking at the screen. In general, keep viewed objects at about the same distance if you have to look back and forth a lot.

10. Can computer work cause nearsightedness? Rarely, according to optometrists. It's more likely that computer work makes you realize that you need glasses.

11. Sometimes eyestrain is just a case of dry eyes. Lowering the monitor can help. Looking downward means more of the eye surface is covered by the eyelid, and two other things happen: the eyes unconsciously blink more, and they produce more lubrication.

Here's more information on why you should consider a low monitor position.

12. People who need bifocals should consider other options besides bifocals. Two good ones are:
Computer glasses that focus at the right distance for the computer screen.
Wearing contact lenses --- corrected for computer or reading distance in one eye, and for far distance (if needed) in the other eye.

13. Bifocal wearers often experience sore necks and shoulders because they have to tip their heads back to see the computer screen.
Lower the screen as much as possible --- if it sits on the CPU, move the CPU.
If necessary, remove the monitor's tilt-swivel base (consult a computer hardware person first) to gain a couple additional inches.
Lower the work surface that the monitor sits on.

I know, there are 13 and the title says a dozen. What can I tell you? Did you find the article helpful? Any eyestrain stories you'd like to share? Any specific things you do to avoid eyestrain?

Critique Partners

I sat out in the sun today for the first time this summer. Not long, but there is now a difference in color between my arms and my stomach (which has not seen direct sunlight since the birth of my first child back in 1991)! And why did I finally have time to sit out in the sun you ask? BECAUSE I FINALLY FINISHED MY SECOND REVISION/REWRITE!! I sent it off to my agent on Friday and plan for it to be in front of the editor at Harlequin Medical Romance no later then Friday 7/23....in time for me to head off to the RWA National Convention on 7/27 without having to worry about it.

So far I have resisted the urge to tinker because enough is enough.....and because after all the time I've spent at the computer these past four weeks, my eyes, hands, and back are demanding I take a break......so here I sit....updating my blog.

Onto my post.

I belong to a writing group where we post our productivity and goals every week. Sometimes I see posts similar to this: So and so (we post in third person) didn't get any writing done this week but she did two beta reads and critiqued four chapters for her critique partners.

Didn't get any writing done? Shouldn't focusing on our own work come first?

My opinion on this has recently changed. In a past post I mentioned my new critique partner Joanne. While I have never met her in person, we work well together. A week or two into our partnership, Joanne got a request for a full from Silhouette Special Edition. Even though I was working on my rewrite at the time, I dropped everything and spent two full days critiquing her entire manuscript. Her submission with the editor, she's been instrumental in reviewing my work (chapter by chapter) within twenty-four hours, often times quicker, and pointing out issues that, after corrected, have really improved the quality of my manuscript. (Thank you, Joanne!!!)

My new opinion: If you can find the right one, a critique partner, AKA an objective pair of eyes, is a necessity. The problem: Finding the person who is strong where you're weak, committed to making your work the best as it can be, and dedicated to getting your work back timely is very difficult. (It's taken me over two years!)

Now I'll ask you:

What's your take on critique partners? Do you have one? Several?
Do you love them/hate them?
Do you think they're a time suck or time well spent?
Are they nice to have or a necessity?

I'm Still Here!

Hello Blog Friends!

To those of you who've stopped by over the past two weeks, sorry I haven't posted anything new. I haven't been around your blogs much either. I apologize. I've been buried under a massive rewrite which I hope to have finished by Friday. I just wanted to stop in and say, "I'm still here." Don't forget about me! I haven't forgotten about you!

Enjoy the beautiful weather for me! I hope to spend some time in the sun soon!

What Type of Writer are You?

I've done a lot of research on the craft of writing. Some things I learn are easier to assimilate into my writing technique than others. For instance, I've read several articles from well known, successful authors who recommend you write your manuscript, start to finish, without looking back until you've completed the entire first draft.

How is this possible? Not look back? I can't do it! I can't I tell you!

I know, I've heard the warning.....If you keep going back to perfect the first chapter, you'll never get past the first chapter. I'm proud to tell you I've conquered this problem, although it took a while.

The way I write now is, I get a scene/chapter into the computer. Usually I think it's nowhere close to as good as it was in my head, and I get frustrated. The next day, however, I come back, review it, add details, flush out setting/characterization, edit extraneous words, and I start to like it. It's usually not until the day after that, after I've edited/revised it a few more times, that I feel ready to move on. That's not to say it's perfect, because further changes are often needed when I do my final edit of the manuscript as a whole.

Another thing I like to do is, when I first sit down to write, I read over the chapter before the one I'm working on, to get myself back into my characters' heads. See...I don't know how to not look back!!!

So what about you? Do you write/revise, write/revise, write/revise until you're done? Or do you write the entire first draft, start to finish, before revising? And which way do you think is best?

Search and Destroy

I've been doing a lot of critiquing lately, of my work, my critique partner's work, and for another writer I hope will become my second critique partner. Since I am in an editing frame of mind, I decided to discuss repetitive words. You know, the ones that sneak into your sentences without you even realizing they're there.

Was.   That.  Seemed.   Felt.   Even.   Just.   And.   Then.   Ever.

My other problem words are there, their, and they're. I know what they all mean and when to use them, yet I routinely find I've used the incorrect form.

When I perform an edit, the above words are at the top of my search and destroy list.

What words or phrases do you tend to repeat in your writing?

Author Branding

Hi All!
I've been a bad blogger, and I apologize. But I've found a new critique partner Joanne who is awesome, and I'm getting a ton of work done! Tonight I e-mailed the revised first three chapters of my WIP to my agent to see if I'm heading in the right direction.

Now. On to my post for today. Author Branding. (And no, this does not have to do with getting your writing genre/subgenre tattooed on a visible body part for easy identification!)

According to Theresa Meyers, President of Blue Moon Communications, when we talk about an author brand we are talking about building an image, perception or identity that is used to create "emotional Velcro" first, a perception of higher quality second and that little "something special" that no one else can offer third.

According to an article by Edwin Colyer at brandchannel, "Authors become brands if they write a certain kind of book. They build up brand loyalty – you know what you're going to get when you read one of their books. By the nature of their craft you won't get something wildly different. You know what you are going to get."


I got the idea for this post while sitting in the audience of the CAROLE KING/JAMES TAYLOR concert this past weekend. First let me tell you....it was FANTABULOUS, and if you have the opportunity to see them, I highly recommend it.

Here are two singers/songwriters in their sixties, whose careers have spanned decades, still performing to sold out crowds. Why? Because they give the people what they want. They sing their songs the way people expect to hear them. Sure they changed things up, but I got what I paid for, and would happily have paid more for if I had to. Carole King and James Taylor have a brand. What comes to mind when you think of them? Ballads. Heartfelt lyrics. Quality. (As hard as it is finding the perfect words, imagine setting them to music. Yikes!)

So as writers, we should take a lesson from these iconic performers by finding our niche and giving our readers (aka customers) what they expect from us....our best work in a form they are familiar with.

What are your thoughts on author branding? (Or James Taylor and Carole King?!?!)

The Letdown That Follows 'The End'

Writing is a process that for some takes months, others years. The idea for a story can take shape from something as simple as driving a blind curve on a road, watching a young couple kiss, or reading a news story on the Internet. (At least for me.) With the implantation of that single seed every writer begins to think, to research and plot (at least to varying degrees) before getting down to the actual business of writing.

Planning the celebration to follow my youngest child's Bat Mitzvah was very similar. It started months ago with an idea for a candy theme. I thought about place cards, candy centerpieces and giveaways. I researched and found the perfect party planner, candy torah seating cards, personalized string backpacks, DJ, photographer, and photo favor company. I created a guest list then contracted, designed, and ordered what I needed.

The day of the Bat Mitzvah felt similar to when I finish a first draft. I felt a sense of excitement, accomplishment that it all came together the way I'd planned. My daughter was beautiful, poised, and dare I say perfect!!! No mother could have been prouder! The reception was fabulous, the food delicious, and the dancing....let's just say quite a few of my muscles and discs rebelled at the overzealous activities of the day!

When the party was over and I looked back at how it all went, it felt similar to the revision process. What would I have done differently, how could I have made things better? For one, I would have eaten more or at least asked that my salmon be packaged up for me to eat later. (As a result of this oversight we stopped at a local hamburger restaurant on the way home from the party....me....complete with my glow stick necklace!) Second, I would have worn a pair of the colorful ped socks we distributed to the kids instead of playing grownup and keeping my heels on the entire time. (An oversight I'm still feeling the effects of today!) Third, I would not have allowed my daughter to wear a strapless dress. (An oversight that had her tugging up her bodice throughout the day.) Unfortunately, a writer can go in and revise to fix the details to make them better. The mother of the Bat Mitzvah girl cannot. Luckily the problems were minor in comparison to all the fun we had!

And finally, the day after the party, just like when a manuscript's final final edits are complete and it's on its way to the agent/editor for review, I experienced the the letdown of 'The End'. Just like I miss the characters who have been a daily part of my life for months, I miss the planning and anticipation of my daughter's big day, which is now just another happy memory.

How do you feel when you've finally completed your manuscript and sent it off? Are you relieved? Sad? Do you obsess and wish you'd made a few more changes? Do you get right to work on your next project, or do you give yourself a much needed break?