This week: the hindrance that is my Crohn’s disease; an update on my writing; The Spike-related links; and the magic of seeing a dinosaur for the first time in Jurassic Park.
sickening
Last weekend, the UK marked five years since the start of Covid with a day of reflection. It reminded me how lucky I’ve been, even if it hasn’t felt like it at times.
Firstly, I was fortunate the vile virus didn’t take anyone close to me to. My thoughts are with everyone who lost someone.
Secondly, if it had to happen, the timing of the lockdown could not have been better for me personally. Early in 2020, I had begun to feel unwell with diarrhoea and fatigue, so it was a relief when we were ordered to work from home.
A few months later, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease.
Crohn’s is an inflammatory bowel disorder where the immune system attacks the digestive system, and it is a bastard. There’s no cure; the main treatments are either medicines, or surgery to remove part of the digestive system. Symptoms can be worsened by stress, or triggered by eating too much sugar, salt, or spice. I had to change my diet significantly.
From the second half of 2020 to January 2022, my symptoms were managed by medication.
But then it stopped working.
I spent the whole of 2022 and 2023 unwell, trying different diets, and cycling through medications in an effort to find one that worked. Unfortunately, several of them take a very long time before they help, and need to be given 20+ weeks before dismissing them and trying something else.
I tried keeping up with my writing during this period, but it was hard. I was still working full time, my sleep was interrupted most nights by bouts of diarrhoea to add on top of the fatigue I already felt, and I was in discomfort/pain whenever I sat down.
In the second half of 2023, it got worse. On top of the prior problems, I lost a lot of weight, had a blood clot in my leg, and in the space of eight months from July 2023 to February 2024, I was hospitalised three times.
For at least six months, I wasn’t writing at all. I was still trying to do my day job from home, but was needing to take breaks every hour or two to lie down. The only places I left my flat to visit were the hospital, my GP, or the pharmacy. I missed my best friend’s 40th birthday, my mum’s 70th birthday, and my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary, among many other events. It was truly horrible.
If the Covid lockdown had not already proven I could work from home, and made it generally more acceptable, I doubt I would have been allowed to for so long. It possibly saved my job, and finding new employment whilst I was in that state would have been virtually impossible.
In January 2024, I began taking a new medication called upadacitinib and, from February, I finally started feeling better. Since coming down with Crohn’s, I’ve never felt as good as I did before it, but I was able to function again. It took a long time to rebuild my physical strength, but my mental energy returned quicker and from May 2024, I was writing more regularly.
Since 8th June, I’ve done at least some work on my writing every single day.
My Crohn’s also brought an extra little gift: I now get anaemic too, and every five months or so I need an iron infusion. During the end of that five months, I get more and more fatigued, physical exertion wears me out quickly and leaves me short of breath, and maintaining focus is tough.
This week, I’ve had confirmation from my latest blood test that I’m due another iron infusion and am awaiting an appointment. Hopefully it will be soon, as my symptoms have prevented me from doing most of what I wanted during my week off, and I’m not able to report anywhere near as much writing progress as I hoped…
progress_report
This week’s blog isn’t one big excuse for why I haven’t written as much as I wanted, but my output has been disappointing. I’m aware though that sometimes we need to be kind to ourselves, and trying to force it usually doesn’t result in the best work.
In my reduced capacity, I’ve found it easier to work on my book cover ideas than drag words out of my fuddled brain, so that’s what most of my “writing” time has been spent on.
I’ve got the basics in place for the cover of The Spike Volume 1 2nd edition; I’ll do a little more on it, then leave it at least a couple of weeks to see if I still like the layout before I begin the time-consuming detail work.
status.vol2
The Spike Volume 2 will contain three separate books from the perspective of seven characters.
Part 1 – draft 2 complete; further chapters to add.
Part 2 – draft 2 complete!
Part 3 – draft 2 written up to chapter 32; thirty-four chapters to go.
The intention is to complete draft 2 of part 3 by the end of March.
Part 1 is currently much shorter than the others, and I want them to be closer in length, so I will need to decide how to tighten parts 2 and 3 slightly, and add more to part 1 – I have some exciting ideas to expand it.
Then a readthrough of all parts will determine how much revision is required.
The ultimate aim is to have Volume 2 finished by the end of 2025 for publication early 2026.
connecting_links
The Spike is set in our world, incorporating real events; the links below are relevant to the themes and overarching storyline, and may or may not provide clues to the direction of the series.
I do not necessarily agree with or endorse any of the views within.
Scientists’ warning on affluence
Feasibility of meeting future battery demand via domestic cell production in Europe
House Republicans literally alter time to avoid responsibility for Trump wrecking the economy
Does exoplanet K2-18b host alien life or not? Here’s why the debate continues
Trump attempts to bail out his wealthy cryptocurrency backers with ‘U.S. crypto reserve’
weekly_inspiration
Every week I share something that’s inspired my creativity.
This week, I’ve been looking back at the magic moment in Jurassic Park when we first see a dinosaur. The combination of Steven Spielberg’s images and John Williams’ music creates a scene that has become truly iconic in cinema history.
I don’t know if it’s possible to recreate that same sense of wonder with text alone, but it’s something to aim for.
What’s inspired you this week? Please share in the comments.
See you next week.
Arrowmaker Books 