Writer Cramps

For a few years I wrote full-time. Since I had left my teaching job to write, I treated writing as my job. I’d roll out of bed very early, often before 5 a.m. and plant myself at my desk. I’d take short breaks throughout the day to stretch and do chores, and one longer break to exercise, and by the time five or six p.m. rolled around I’d have put in about eight hours. Sometimes at night I’d write a little more. My productivity soared.

After eight months or so, my body started rebelling—I couldn’t get the keyboard height quite right, so my wrists hurt and my neck and shoulders were slowly but surely turning to cement.

"Help! I'm stuck!"

In response, I went to see a physical therapist.

I carted my laptop all over the house, writing in a rocking chair, on the couch, standing at the kitchen counter. These things helped but not enough.

So, I finally settled on this.

It took two hours to build the desk top.

Being an exercise addict, I already had a treadmill to help me through the 40-below cold snaps we get every winter.

I’m back in the classroom now and have much more limited writing time. But when summer rolls around and I’m putting in some longer writing days I’ll probably hop back on the treadmill.

Does the physical strain of writing ever limit you? What adjustments have you made to your writing space and routines over time? How have these things helped you?