The Missing D by Jane Clamp

Have you ever wondered – or, indeed, found out – what would happen if one of the letters stopped working on your QWERTY keyboard? Or, if the note Middle C failed to sound on your musical keyboard (as was recently the case for a friend of mine)?

It’s nonsense to respond, “It’s only one key! Look at how many others you’ve got to choose from!”

photo courtesy of washington.edu

Yet, I have found myself lately missing the D. Vitamin D, to be precise. A blood test investigating my chronic insomnia revealed an acute deficiency, which is being speedily rectified with a course of tablets. The implications for bone health are obvious but it wasn’t until I was talking about it with a friend that I discovered that Vit D deficiency comes with a range of symptoms, all of which I’d been unwittingly experiencing. For an intelligent woman, I’d proved rather thick about my own body.

The reason I’m sharing this on our blog about all things writerly, is that we mustn’t neglect our health in pursuit of our art/craft/obsession. I have spent so much time holed up in my study, enjoying the sunshine OUT THERE without stepping into it and letting those rays do their thing. I suspect I’m far from alone. How many of us smiled at the cartoon posted recently on Facebook showing the tan-lines for various occupations? The writer? No tan at all, just lily-whiteness. All good fun, but how many of us are lacking in vital physical requirements as a result?

So, here’s a little check-list, in no particular order, to make sure we produce good copy without hurting ourselves.

·         Be comfortable as you write. A good chair, a desk, keyboard and monitor all at the right height. Back ache is pretty distracting to the creative process.

·         Remember to blink. I was diagnosed with dry eyes by the optician, caused by forgetting to blink often and properly. Those words will still be there without you staring at them.

·         Crack a window open so you’re not drowning in your own CO2.

·         Get up and stretch every hour.

·         Leave your desk and GO OUTSIDE for a good walk, even if it’s just around your garden. Let the sunshine see your skin for 20 minutes a day.

·         Drink more water. Your brain will become a raisin without proper hydration. Don’t expect it to work well for you if you treat it mean.

·         Eat chocolate. Ok, well, it helps me…

·         Don’t neglect your friends. Schedule meetings in the diary, even if they’re ages away. It’s no good praying we’ll save the world through our words if we don’t bother spending time with those we love.

·         Check yourself out with the GP – just in case.

There. Lecture over.

Good health, everyone!

Jane Clamp is the author of Too Soon, a mother's journey through miscarriage (SPCK) and Groups' Coordinator for ACW.