Why Aren’t You Writing V: Overcoming Illness and Disability

Last time we talked about different writing tools you can use. This time we’re going to talk about something particularly close to my heart: writing when you’re dealing with some kind of physical infirmity. Even healthy people will experience physical and mental fatigue, eye strain, and neck/back/hand pain if they spend too much time writing, […]

“Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand

Unbroken Laura Hillenbrand In “Unbroken,” Laura Hillenbrand returns to tell another story (after “Seabiscuit”) of someone who has been bloodied by adversity, but not broken by it. Louie Zamperini was one of the world’s hottest track stars, breaking record after record and running in the 1936 Olympics. Then WWII broke out, and he ended up […]

“Unrest” coming to Winston-Salem Today!

Unrest here at WFU! I’m very excited to say that Wake Forest University will be holding a screening of “Unrest” today at 6pm in Broyhill Auditorium, Farrell Hall. The screening will be free and open to the public, and there will be a panel discussion afterwards that will, health permitting, include me. I’ll probably discuss […]

My Essay on Chronic Illness in “The Mighty”

So, when I’m not writing fiction or book reviews (or working), I’m being chronically ill. Actually, I’m chronically ill all the time now, and all that other stuff has to be worked around the illness issues. I recently had a piece come out in “The Mighty,” which I originally entitled “Why Students Need Sick Faculty,” […]

“Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Treatment Guide” by Erica Verrillo

Of the many problems with having CFS/ME/FMS, one of the more frustrating is the lack of treatments. Or rather, the overwhelming number of potential treatments, none of which are a sure-fire cure. Since the cause and mechanism of this illness/these illnesses (it is still a matter of debate whether Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, and […]

“Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Myalgic Encephalitis” by Dr. Sarah Myhill

Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Myalgic Encephalitis Second Edition: it’s mitochondria, not hypochondria Anyone who has every had a mysterious or chronic illness probably knows that there are some things that modern Western medicine doesn’t handle very well. If you have the misfortune to suffer from some aspect of the FM/CFS/ME family, […]

In Which I Contemplate Day-to-Day Activities When You Feel Like Hell

I thought I’d take a break from book reviewing to meditate a little more on an issue of all-consuming interest for me–namely, my mysterious illness that may or may not be CFS/ME, an obscure strain of Lyme disease, babesiosis…the possibilities are vast and confusing, and your run-of-the-mill MD is left in a muddled quandary when faced […]

In Which I Come Out as a Sick Person

If you’re one of the, oh, half-dozen people who read my posts, you’ll know that mostly I do book reviews, with the occasional bout of self-promotion for my own works. And I’ll still be doing that, but it occurred to me that I am currently in the middle of a real-life experience full of drama […]