[Scriptoris] Ending the "Death Grip"

[Diane Rudin]

Oriana wrote, in response to me:

SL > I'm going to have to go
SL > through a lot of frustrating re-training, to make myself not hold the 
SL > pen/brush
SL > with a death grip, but I'm now resolved to do it. 
 
> What worked for me was gluing strips of very course sandpaper around the 
> handles of all my brushes.  I had to hold them delicately.  

If pain were a deterrent, I wouldn't be in this predicament.  :^)
But I'll give it a try.

> The other thing that helped was using a timer to keep from doing "just one 
> more line, or word, or even letter."  Set the thing for three minutes, or
> what 
> ever your physical therapist recommends and when it goes off STOP!  Do your 
> relaxation and stretching exercises and take a short break before picking up
> the pen again?

That's part of the retraining.  I was good because I got into a rhythym.  I
couldn't stay "in the groove" if I kept taking breaks, so I just kept on
working until the thing was done.  Four, ten, sixteen hours at a time. 
All-nighters.  Had to use my left hand to take the pen from my right hand
because it was "stuck" in position.  At the time, we had a newly-minted Doctor
of Osteopathy in the Steppes, and boyo, the lectures she'd give me while she
worked on my hand!  It took my chiropractor the better part of a year, working
twice a week, to un-knot the muscles in my right hand and arm.  He moved
out-of-state a few years ago.  <weep>  I can't afford a chiropractor right now.

So, you see, the problem is being willing to take breaks, and therefore produce
inferior product.  I believe that those on this list who know me are familiar
with my, umm, high expectations as to the quality of work I produce.

--Serena

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