I'm not sure

[Mythsaje]

how much I'm going to be posting here until the primaries are over. I'm going to be working a lot more hours in the coming weeks, so it's unlikely I'll have a lot of time to hang out in DU. I know several people were a bit worried about me, so I wanted to drop in a time or two to let everyone know I'm more or less all right. Still suffering from chronic pain but working to find the cause and try to eliminate it.

Part of my New Year's resolution (I have never done one in the past, but for some reason this year I did) was to do more blogging ABOUT writing, and about my novels. It's especially important since my body seems to be freaking out on me. I need to start taking my writing career seriously.

Not that I haven't anyway...but I have spent a lot of time on DU writing my semi-famous rants and not nearly so much time everywhere else on the web doing the promotional part of the whole thing. Even the headaches involved in editing are nothing compared to the whole "hey, look at me!" crap that requires nearly the exact opposite mindset involved in of writing in the first place. Writing is a solitary thing, for the most part, but deliberately exposing yourself to the world most certainly isn't. There are a lot of authors out there and it can be hard to make yourself heard in the general din unless you get downright obnoxious about it. And that isn't exactly a winning strategy.

Fact is, I'm not really that fond of drawing attention to myself. Hard to believe, perhaps, but true enough. The problem is that it's simply not a particular good trait for a writer to have. Not nowadays, when there's so much competition and so many people DON'T read for pleasure at all. Especially not those I've noticed hitting my web-page from that OTHER site after one of my posts here has been dragged over and pissed all over the way they like to do.

Hey, they're cordially invited to buy and burn as many copies of my books as they like. :evilgrin: As I've said before.

For those of you who are interested, I just added a blog entry on my myspace site.

http://www.myspace.com/sajewilliams

Any support anyone feels they can give would be appreciated.

On another note, I'd like to weigh in on at least one thing currently under discussion here. The DC Madam suicide has my BS detector wailing like a banshee. Frankly, the whole thing creeps me out. Her death was VERY convenient for some very powerful people, and when something is THAT convenient, I can't help but wonder.

We may never know for sure.

I'll be around a little more often than I have been lately, I think, but I'm most definitely not going to be weighing in on the primaries. All I care about at this point is making certain Mr. McCain doesn't become our next President.

I know we can all agree on that much, at least. Say "nope" to that dope.

Anyhoo... That's all I have to say for now. Be well, fellow DUers, and remember that when all of this primary nonsense is over, our real battle begins. And that's going to be a doozy.

[vickitulsa]

1. Sounds like a good plan, Saje.

Especially the part about figuring out what is causing your chronic pain. That's very important to do!

I've been a chronic pain person (okay, "patient") now for too many years for comfort -- forgive the bad pun, but we pain patients tend to indulge in a LOT of humor, often ironic and sometimes of the gallows variety as well.

Just one of many mechanisms we develop to cope with the many annoyances and the several serious challenges of living with chronic pain!

But finding out what is the actual cause of your pain really should be up at the top of your priority list, because until you know that, it's very hard indeed to begin to remedy it to the degree possible and function with it as best you can if it's not curable. I happen to recall only too well that one of the worst things about being in the early stages of serious chronic pain is the way your mind can just go wild imagining all sorts of reasons for the pain that can be far worse than whatever the real cause may be.

Especially is it likely that a creative writer will find his imagination running wild, too -- as you might imagine! ;) Or experience. I know I sure did, and it made the whole thing far worse.

Sorry to hear you're having to deal with this, but just hang in there and do all you can to learn what you can about your particular situation, whatever it turns out to be. The more you know, you know, the better you can cope! But you know that already!

Just one other tip from me on that: second -- and sometimes third and fourth -- opinions are good things! Doctors can be guessing as much as they are diagnosing, in my experience, so if you don't feel you're getting the right answers, by all means seek more input from other sources.

Sorry also to hear the mental miniatures at that icky other site have zeroed in on you, but maybe you should consider it an honor of a twisted sort? Hope the annoyances they send your way are shortlived and limited.

Take good care of yourself, as it sounds like you're doing. Just trust your own judgment about your own body. My brother, who's been a pharmacist for 30 years, always says, "You know your own 'unit' better than anyone else."

(He thinks in terms of "units" because he works in a hospital. :) )

I've found that's true, all right.

Best of luck, in dealing with your pain and with the pains in the ass that are demanding your attention. I know you'll do well in all your endeavors, and you deserve rich rewards for all you do.

From a fellow human in pain. :hug:

[vickitulsa]

2. Kick for folks who sleep past 5 a.m. on Saturdays!

I think there are many DUers who would appreciate getting this news from and about you.