Bit by bit, I’m becoming more adept at left-handed writing. I’m much quicker at finding all the keys on the keyboard, and almost getting to the point of being able to type without looking constantly at the keyboard. It has helped to use a full-size keyboard rather than the keyboard on my laptop. As for left-handed handwriting, that too is improving, slowly but surely. I find using a pencil works better than using a pen, as it slides more easily over the paper–and it’s nice to be able to erase illegible words when I need to. For some reason, letters seem easier to write than numerals.

Luckily, I had some draft posts ready for a couple of my sites before I fractured my elbow, so I’ve been posting some of those–for example, “Reconciliation From A Christian View,” which I’d had as a draft on my Church Journey blog, but decided to also place on my Haida Gwaii Building Bridges blog.

I spent some time adjusting various pages on my Pen and Paper Mama blog, once I got this new blog up and running. I used the Windows Speech Recognition software to write a post about those changes: “Site Changes.”

I have found that not only does this left-handed business slow me down, but I’m tired, and need naps. My husband, the Care Aide, tells me I can expect  that, as my body is using a lot of energy to heal not only the fractured elbow, but also the sprained wrists and shoulder, and lots of bruises and scrapes all over. This wasn’t my plan for my summer of writing, but it certainly is an adventure! Thank goodness for hubby’s TLC!

We’ve been having a cooler summer than usual here in the sunny South Okanagan, which is nice as I can sit out on the lawn in the shade while I read and write 🙂

I also have been working on the Facebook page for the Okanagan Valley Writer’s Festival, which is held in April. If you’re looking for a great writer’s conference in a beautiful location with nice weather at a reasonable cost, this is definitely one to seriously consider.

I have finished reading (and doing left-handed note taking…) Creating an Online Presence by Cat Rambo, which, as I mentioned in my previous post, is a clearly written, easy to understand, and detailed guide to that topic. When I finished that, I read The Rational Writer by Mindy Klasky. This book is also clearly written and detailed and is an excellent guide to creating and building your business as a writer. It includes links to great spreadsheets to help you set up each aspect of your business, such as your strategic plan, time management, tracking data, quantifying your success, and budgeting. The author has written many books herself, both fiction and non-fiction, and gives detailed personal case studies for each aspect of a writing business.

Yesterday, I had new X-rays of my elbow fracture, and it is healing nicely, so I don’t need surgery, though I’, wearing a sling and must be very careful, and must not do any lifting with my right arm or hand. Next X-rays in 3 weeks.