I love a book that pulls you into the story and makes you feel like you are right there, experiencing the events with the main character, making it feel like a real life experience. And real life is about expecting the unexpected. Now I can add a new real life experience of my own to my writing. Three weeks ago, I slipped and became another victim of the Nebraska ice, breaking my wrist and requiring surgery to implant a plate. (Guess I’m going to become great friends with the TSA people at the airport now.)
I know I should feel fortunate. It could have been worse. It was just my wrist…my right wrist…and of course, I’m right handed. And I admit, it has made me see the world in a whole new light. I felt helpless, like a baby, unable to do so many things for myself. Taking a bath and washing my hair with my right hand stuck up to stay clear of the water is really hard! I had to ask for help in doing the simplest of things like opening a can of pop, buttoning my jeans, and cutting up my sandwich. I was not going to be winning any beauty pageants since using a curling iron was out of the question. And it’s really difficult to draw a straight line with eye-liner with your left hand.
But I have learned I can do many things with my left hand. I can cook stir fry…sort of. Needless to say, my husband about split a gut when he came into the kitchen to find my pan spinning on the stove as I tried to stir it. And adding the sauce to the mix? Yeah, I had to improvise by holding the packet in my mouth and squeezing it with my left hand. But hey, I did it. And I've learned to type fairly fast with my left hand. Hunt and peck and taken on a whole new meaning.
I hope I never have to experience a break like this again, but I can now empathize with my characters as they deal with injuries and add real life experience to their stories. What real life experiences do you bring to your characters?
Thanks for stopping by.
C.K. Volnek
I know I should feel fortunate. It could have been worse. It was just my wrist…my right wrist…and of course, I’m right handed. And I admit, it has made me see the world in a whole new light. I felt helpless, like a baby, unable to do so many things for myself. Taking a bath and washing my hair with my right hand stuck up to stay clear of the water is really hard! I had to ask for help in doing the simplest of things like opening a can of pop, buttoning my jeans, and cutting up my sandwich. I was not going to be winning any beauty pageants since using a curling iron was out of the question. And it’s really difficult to draw a straight line with eye-liner with your left hand.
But I have learned I can do many things with my left hand. I can cook stir fry…sort of. Needless to say, my husband about split a gut when he came into the kitchen to find my pan spinning on the stove as I tried to stir it. And adding the sauce to the mix? Yeah, I had to improvise by holding the packet in my mouth and squeezing it with my left hand. But hey, I did it. And I've learned to type fairly fast with my left hand. Hunt and peck and taken on a whole new meaning.
I hope I never have to experience a break like this again, but I can now empathize with my characters as they deal with injuries and add real life experience to their stories. What real life experiences do you bring to your characters?
Thanks for stopping by.
C.K. Volnek
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