I’m happy to say I actually wrote today. Usually, this wouldn’t be news, but I have written (maybe) 5,000 words since before I left Montana on January 6. Moving really takes a whole lot of time. When you have children who are still in school, it’s worse because you have to line up their stuff, too. But I love being back in Nebraska, I love my new home and neighborhood, and I love being around my friends again. I have no doubt that this is where God wants me. I did a lot of praying late last year that He lead this whole thing, and it feels great knowing that I finally got it “right” when it comes to listening to God.
So anyway, today I did finally get something written in Midnight Wedding and The Earl’s Jilted Bride. I ran out of time to do anything with Worth the Risk.
My eyes have been bugging me, so I could only devote 2-3 hours on the computer today. I haven’t done much blogging because it requires me to be on the computer. This is also why I don’t go on social media a lot. I try to focus my attention on the things that are most important.
My children, of course, come before the writing, and since I’ve been homeschooling my youngest, most of my time on the computer has been spent preparing lessons for him. This week is our last week of homeschooling. I have already prepared all but one of his final exams.
That all being said, I have missed writing, and it was so much fun to get back into my characters’ world. When I haven’t written in a while, it feels like there’s a build up of pressure within me. Then, when I do finally write, that pressure is released. After that, I feel relaxed. I’m really hoping to get back into writing more that the homeschooling will be done. I have missed it.
Ruth Ann Nordin's Author Blog 
Take it slow. Aim for a manageable amount of words in the beginning (250 or 500). Before long, you’ll be back in the groove of things. At least, that’s how it’s been for me. Especially after moving.
I am going to start doing that. It gets overwhelming to think of putting in my 3,000 words in a day when I’ve been out of the loop for so long. On some days, I’ve gotten so overwhelmed that I avoided the computer altogether.
That’s a good reason to start small. Eventually, you can build your way up to that.
Hi Ruth Ann,
I apologise for not sending this earlier.
Have you modified the colour for the background for your screen? This is normally white, so that you are typing onto a bright white screen. However, this can be quite annoying in you have eye issues.
It is possible to set the colour of the background screen to something off white (like a bone or very light cream colour). It only needs to be slightly off white to stop the intense brightness effect on the eyes. This makes it much easier on the eyes, and allows you to work for a considerably longer time.
If you need details of how to do this, let me know what operating system you use, and I will see what I can do for you.
Kind regards,
Christopher Webb
Warrnambool
Australia
I have an iMac, and if I understand right, I go into System Setting, then Display, and then I pick reduce transparency and reduce motion. That’s what I found while doing a Google search on it. I tried reducing transparency, but my eyes didn’t like it, so I unclicked it. I have found that reducing the brightness on the computer, using the reticare screen, and taking frequent breaks help. Writing itself is okay. As long as I’m in Word, I am fine. It’s when I have to go on the Internet that the problem pops up, especially if I switch between websites like I often do while gathering homeschool information. I plan to discuss this issue with an eye doctor at my next visit. There’s probably something more than eye strain going on.
Hi Ruth Ann,
May I suggest that you ask your eye doctor whether there are anti-glare glasses (possibly lightly tinted) for computer use. I used to have a pair, and they were only suitable for the computer work. They worked well for me.
Kind regards,
Chris Webb
I will ask the eye doctor about that. Thanks.
I think what Chris means is the Night Shift setting. You can set everything to be black background (except Word pages, but Word probably has a setting for something similar–I’ve never looked, just guessing) and change the whiteness to more of a red. Blue light is hard on the eyes and stimulating to the brain. Changing it to more of a reddish is meant to help alleviate the strain and relax the mind. I have this set automatically on my MacBook.
If you’ve updated to the latest version (I’m running Ventura), you go to System Settings -> Displays and click the Night Shift button. You can select the setting for times on it and also the warmness of the display (the shifting to more red colored).
You might also want to select larger text in the Displays options, if you haven’t done this already. I should have suggested those sooner but hadn’t thought about it with your eye issues.
I did see something about Night Shift while I was on the desktop. Right now I’m on the laptop trying to get posts ready for my book release tomorrow. I do my writing on that computer. I do have Ventura. I’ll look through these options when I get back on there. Thanks!
You’re welcome! I hope that helps, at least a little.
So far, it does seem to make a difference. I’m still watching how long I spend on the computer to be on the safe side, but this is helping. Thank you!
Glad to be of assistance.
Kind regards,
Chris Webb
I have often wondered why writing is usually the first thing to suffer when life gets busy. Just lately, I have been bucking this trend, deliberately choosing to write over other less important jobs, like cleaning the cooker!
I have put off housework in the past. I try to make writing a priority. In the past, it has worked great. Since moving, however, I’ve had to homeschool, I had to fight identity theft, a friend’s husband died, and I’ve needed to go to the doctor for foot pain because I’m having trouble walking. It’s been crazier than usual. The biggest chunk of my time was spent on homeschooling, though. I enjoy homeschooling, so I’m not complaining. 😀 That said, I’m looking forward to this summer. I hope to finally finish these three books. But yes, I agree that most of the time, being able to write comes down to delaying the other tasks that can wait.
It is getting harder to prioritise…. 💕