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Your Precious Hands

September 15, 2017 By Nancy Casey

Your writing practice should never, ever make your hands hurt.  Ever.  Never.

How can you write without getting the tired old aches they call “writers cramp?”

Everybody is different, so you have to figure that out for yourself.  The basic principle is simple:  when it hurts, change something so that it doesn’t.  You can change the way you sit or how you hold the pen.  You can change your expectations for how tidy the words look on the page or for how many words you are able to write.  (More suggestions here.)

Before you begin to write, lay your hands comfortably on the table and move them in a way that feels gentle and relaxing.  Meditate a little bit on the many different ways a hand can work.

Stay relaxed, pick up a pen, and write about what your hands have already done for you today.  Do not let your hand hurt.  Not even a little.  At the slightest twinge or tiredness, change something until it goes away.

Put the date on the page and give it a title.  For extra measure, draw your hand on it.

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News and Events

Nancy blogs weekly for the Latah Recovery Community Center, sharing writing ideas that support self-awareness and self-esteem.


Looking for an art project that is secretly full of math? Or a math project that results in interesting art? Equilateral Triangle is an Inquiry Pack full of project ideas that will keep you thinking for a long time.


Writing classes and workshops

In-person Write-For-You workshops at the Latah Recovery Center have been suspended for a bit, but you can still do the writing prompts on your own. For more information, about the Write for You program, or if you are in recovery and interested in writing coaching, contact Nancy.


 

Let’s Talk About It

This is a program that supports reading and discussion in libraries throughout the state of Idaho.

Working with the Program Committee, I updated the theme The Humanity of Science and Technology.


Schedule of 2023-24 Let’s Talk About It sessions coming soon!


Nancy Casey's Books

All the Way to Second Street

All the Way to Second Street front cover
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COPYRIGHT 2016 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NANCY CASEY | MOSCOW, ID.