#Spoonie? ..... what the heck is that anyway?

A handful of people have asked me what a "Spoonie" is and how it applies to me. I'll be blunt and tell you I had no idea that I even was one until a few months ago.

I kind of knew what it was about and had an some idea that it had to do with people who have a medical condition, disease or illness...something with lupus, maybe? I wasn't a hundred percent clear on the specifics and, in all honesty, figured I would read up on it later.

Later became now, so here is some basic info.

A “spoonie” is a term used by people with chronic illnesses.

It stems from lupus blogger Christine Miserandino who explained her lack of energy using spoons, yes like the actual silverware kind.

Chronic illnesses often cause daily chronic pain and fatigue. This can range from tolerated mild discomfort and aches to debilitating agonizing pain that leaves you unable to show up to your life.

The Spoon theory is a metaphor that is used to describe the amount of mental or physical energy a person has available to them for daily activities and tasks.

You can read her article here.

https://butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/

And for a visual example here's a fancy chart. There are a million versions of this if you google it but this will give you an idea.

That is a fairly simplistic answer that may leave wondering what that has to do with me and how it applies to my book. I can tell you that I don't have lupus or endometriosis or POTS or PCOS but every single day I do have chronic pain and fatigue. I have been chronically ill now for over three years and whatever is making me sick is still a mystery, to everyone. The absolutes of my health don't add up to my continuing symptoms and the stranger part of my story is how I found out that I had any illness at all.

My book, exceptionally average, takes you through how I got to the point where I'm at now.

I can't call this a journey as I generally associate the word "journey" with something pleasant. This has been one of the least pleasant experiences of my life.

Have I been educated? Yes! 100%. Am I exhausted and sick of feeling sick? Yes!! 100%.

I give you my first hand experience and living proof examples that there are heroes... and demons in our healthcare system.

The saddest part of my experience thus far, beyond my continuing unsolved pain, is that I have found amongst us lives warriors and survivors in the millions. Whether they call themselves Spoonies or not, in the US alone, there are over 155 million people who live daily with chronic illness. That means that almost every other person you know or meet is fighting something.

My book is my story. It is the harrowing tale that half of you will be shocked to read and the other half will raise your hand and say "Same girl. Same"

If you want to know when my book will be published, please sign up for email updates.

Thx. ..and please take care, choose wisely and don't waste your spoons.

Counting Down

Whether you are "into" the holidays or not we are in the countdown to the end of this crazy year of 2020. A mere 31 days until we enter what we hope to be a better next year.

Some of you will find great comfort in the traditions you normally share around this time of year. Some will take joy in the creativeness of modifying your typical rituals, while others will continue to do their normal and retract into their own world and look forward to all of it to being over.

Whatever you choose, I wish you well and success in your endeavors.

For me, the count down brings me just that much closer to the deadline of getting my manuscript completed. I have a due date in mid-April but am pressing myself to be completed way before that. Before I can send in my proposal and sample chapters I'll need to get a few beta readers to spell check me and confirm that my story flows along smoothly. So much to do, so much to do.

Getting all of my ducks in a row in the middle of holiday season is a tall order since I am not one to retreat, regardless of how I am feeling. There are decorations to arrange and presents to wrap. I'm told there are cookies that need to be baked and I actually wrangled my teen into helping write out holiday cards this year, so I feel like a scored "a win" there. I'm really not to different than any of you with kids who have seasonal expectations. I spend my days dealing with extra school homework all while assuring children that the teachers are not being hateful or a scrooge just because they're giving a little extra work to cover for the time they'll have off, sharing the wish lists with family members, organizing doctors and lab appointments around asynchronous school days and my husbands meeting schedule....you get it. The list goes on and on and somewhere in there I have a book to finish writing.

I've asked Santa for some extra energy and a few extra days in the week. Easy, right?

No matter what your December looks like I hope you handle it with love and grace. Be gentle with yourself and your loved ones.

**If you'd like to share a creative way you've modified or altered a holiday tradition I would love to hear about it.

In the mean time I've got some ornaments to hang, oh.. and some writing to do but I'll give you guys a shout out again soon.

Sign Up compared to Follow?

Here's the question:

What makes you sign up for an email list compared to just following someone on a social media platform like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter?

If you have an answer I would truly be interested in your take.

The reason I ask is serious, not heart attack serious, but this isn't mere curiosity.

In the publishing world, where authors are expected to do most all of their own marketing, it is impressed upon us that having an email list is important. They expect that you are coming to the table with hundreds, hopefully thousands, of potential book sales ready to go.

I know it sounds a bit insane but inside the publishing realm books are churned out and sent into the world on the heels of the one before it and the one that will be following yours is already sharing your chair. On top of that, If you are going the traditional publishing route it's best to know that even if your agent and the publishing house loves your book and signs you it will probably be another solid year, if not more, before you see your actual printed book.

Yes, You can absolutely self publish. Self edit, partially pay an editor, pay for your cover art or do that yourself too. There are a million ways to get a book out to the masses but it still leads you back to selling your book....if that's why you wrote it and that's what you are hoping to do.

So, Email sign up?

What do I need to do to get you to sign up on my email list?

*cute smile* points to link -----> Email sign up

Should I give stuff away? Offer a copy of my book, once it's published?

Help a girl out and let me know.

Thanks!