Just a quick note.
After several days of resting my arms and not doing any typing apart from the bare minimum at work, I am finding myself much imp[roved. As I suspected, some of the p[ain was RSI rather than arthritis. That has mostly gone, though a few minutes of typing is enough to start vague aches in the arms starting again. The hands are recovering, the swelling is going down and though one of my fingers is still very stiff and sore, today was the first day in weeks where I have felt that things really are improving.
Well, the hands are improving. in writing terms, I’m at a low ebb. I had another rejection yesterday and I didn’t submit anything for February. My hands/arms were painful as I tried, I couldn’t concentrate and in the end I gave up. As I still have two submissions out, and neither are likely to be accepted, it looks like my results for January submissions is six acceptances from eleven submissions. A few years ago I’d have been ecstatic about that.
Goat. Looks cute but does everything it can to make life difficult.
At that point I thought of indulging in self-pity, but I am in the middle of a good book about Edward I and I decided to read instead. A few years ago I’d have been ecstatic about six acceptances in a month, so it’s just a case of managing expectations.
The thing about rejections is that you get them because your writing isn’t good enough. Yes, there are other reasons we give, and it is true that there are other factors, but the truth is that if you want acceptances you have to write to a high enough standard. There’s no point sitting in a darkened room whimpering. When I have rested enough I will start writing again, and do it better.
In the meantime, I’m going to rest for a few more days before easing my way back into typing. Same goes for writing, as holding a pen is still difficult too.
I’m hoping that I will be back to normal in about a week (though “normal” is probably something I need to think about), and with any luck I may even be light-hearted and humorous.
Lambs. I expect you knew that.
Thinking of you!
🙂
Horrible. Don’t try to answer this
🙂
Yes, rest your hands. Glad you are feeling better. That kid and those lambs are mighty cute.
It is good to read a post from you again, even one infused with a rather gloomy tone. Six acceptances seems pretty good to me but is also good to keep raising your ambitions. Any ambitions I might have had have floated away on a tide of receding years.
No need to reply to me, Simon. Rest your hands. Glad things are going better, and your writing will come. I still think that is an impressive number of acceptances. I admire your work.