I have an issue.
It’s not a brand new issue, if I’m honest but one of those creeping, gradual, ‘sinking into quicksand’ type situations. The type that without you really noticing at any point, becomes something that could cause real problems.
I’m talking about my eyes.
Sore Eyes
I am, for those of you that don’t know, a glasses user. I don’t wear them all the time, but as the years roll by, I’m finding myself using them more and more and I think it’s past time for a new prescription.
You may blame my advancing age. You may blame the MS I was diagnosed with some ten years ago—a fun auto-immune condition that encourages the immune system to recognise the myelin sheath that covers the sufferer’s brain (and yes, I do have one) as a foreign invader that needs repelling before it steals our jobs, our women, and claims our benefits.
Alright, that last part is a tad facetious.
In The Frame
The point remains, however, that my eyesight is gradually getting a little bit worse, something that has become more and more noticeable over the last few weeks.
And so, a trip to the opticians is called for. A thrilling, rollercoaster ride of lasers, charts, and those lovely and extremely stylish frames (the ones I secretly wish I could keep) that hold a selection of interchangeable lenses that get swapped out while the optician asks ‘one… or two. Better… or worse’.
It’s fun for all the family, especially as my wúnderwifey, Tina, has decided to undergo the same ordeal, figuring if one of us is going, the other probably should too.
Of course, in Tina’s case the most important innovation she could enquire about would be a chain or strap to keep said specs around her neck and stop her leaving them in random places. Not that I’m accusing her of losing several pairs of glasses, heavens no. Perish the thought.
I’ll probably pay for that later.
But I'll Have A Look
Anyhoo, an appointment has been made for next Wednesday and, allowing time for the lenses to be ground and fitted in a new and no doubt costly bit of moulded plastic, I should be back to 20/20 or at least a decent approximation of the same in two blogs’ time. Something I welcome with open arms.
Because this is the real fly in my ointment—my writing.
Not only do I have this humble weekly offering to jot down, but I also have the first draft of my second novel to consider, and although my eyes do seem to adjust between distance viewing and close-up work, given a little time, it is starting to impact me ever so slightly. I can see the words, and I can see the keys, but prolonged computer usage is tiring and a little achy in the optical nerves (or something. I’m not an optician).
In the meantime I’ll struggle on, because one thing I have found with my writing is how important showing up is.
Keep Write On
Inspiration strikes at random, and too often just as I’m going to sleep, but getting some words down at a more-or-less regular time on a daily basis is the key to progress. Some days I’ll sit at the keyboard and it will be easy. The words will flow. The ideas will bloom. I might even get some punctuation in the right place.
Some days it is more difficult. It will feel like a grind and I might only manage a handful of words that need deleting, something that eye-strain doesn’t do much to help.
But, with a bit of luck, that will soon be one factor I can put to one side and everything will become that little bit better.
… Or worse?
Until next time!
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Hey, there! If you enjoyed reading any of the above, why not take a look at some of my published work? Below you’ll find links to a number of short stories I’m lucky enough to have included in anthologies. I’d love to know what you think. My debut novel, The Heart That Died, is available now as both paperback, E-book, and on Kindle Unlimited, so I’m adding the link to that, too.
Oh, and if you like what you look-see, a nice, positive review would also be most welcome.
The Heart That Died
New Tales Of Old
Death Ship
Pestilence: Drabbles 1
Reaperman: Drabbles 3
The Musketeers Vs Cthulhu
Eldritch Investigations
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