Part of that is due to my ability to type. Yeah, I know, I could have worked on a voice recognition program like Dragonspeak, and I did have it on a computer, waiting for when I would need it. But for some reason, when I go to speak what I want to say, it just isn't the same as typing it out. What comes out when I'm typing goes slower than the speed of my brain. When I talk, it stumble over what I want to say, how to say it, etc. One of the things I've always loved about writing is that I can stop, think about what I want to say and the best way to say it, and then go on. While I know in theory I could do that with a voice recognition program, my mind literally freezes when I talk it out, like there is someone on the other end I have to talk to.
I'm sure if I had to, I could get over it. But until then, I struggled to keep typing. And my time for that was short due to my left arm dystonia (muscle stiffness that affected my left hand's typing speed). But now thanks to DBS, I can almost type at my former speed. So I'm back to being able to type again. Yay!
At any rate, like I said, that was no real excuse for the delay in my writing. The real reason was the lack of motivation. Dopamine, which is the chemical in the brain that goes on short supply for Parkinson's patients, is also one of the primary motivation chemicals. Most know it is the "pleasure" chemical. In reality, it doesn't create pleasure as much as tell your brain when something is pleasurable and convinces your main decision making part of the brain that you really want to repeat that experience.
So it provides a lot of the motivation to get things done, like writing. One of the common non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's is depression. That is probably linked with the loss of motivation and resulting depression over that. I never really felt depression, but I did have a loss of motivation concerning my writing, and the resulting loss I felt due to that. As a result, except for a few exceptions, I've done little to nothing since 2013, for the last 4 years.
Additionally, I just finished toward the end of November, the first draft of a novel I'd been working on since 2013. It brings the whole Virtual Chronicles to a satisfying conclusion, and ends the series with four books. I'll be busy editing it for the next couple of months or so, and will have the new novel out by the first half of the year.
That will also allow me the time to start working on new stuff. One of those things that will be first on my list is a non-fiction book on a religious topic I'd been needing to do for some time now. I figured if it was going to get done, I'd better do it now while I was able. I think it is important enough to delay my next fiction book.
So I look forward to a great new 2018 on the writing front. I'm not especially enamored with writing goals. I find I get more done without them. My general approach, however, will be to write and published. Then repeat. As I have the time to do so. I have a lot of irons in the fire, so writing is one part of my life, important though it is. That said, with my motivation more back on track as it concerns writing, I'm much more likely to find myself at the desk typing away on my next opus.
Until next time, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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