When I split my original Mysterious Warriors into four books instead of one, I quickly realized the third book was going to be the most work. Why? Because it didn’t actually exist in the original version. It was a storyline that was mentioned — but never fully shown.

I started writing Mysterious Warriors: Alone, but I struggled with it for two big reasons. First, I was constantly switching back and forth between Prophecy Series and Mysterious Warriors, which made it hard to get back into the world of Erde. Second… I really just wanted to write the fourth book, Redemption.

So I did something a little backwards.

I stopped writing Alone, jumped ahead and wrote Redemption, and then went back to finish Alone. It might sound crazy (and maybe it was), but it worked — I ended up finishing Redemption before I finished Alone.

In my first draft of Alone, I left empty spaces where full scenes were supposed to be, with just short outline notes instead. When I went back to edit, I either filled those scenes in properly or cut them altogether. That technique helped me finally push through and complete the draft.

Ironically, Redemption — the book I thought would be the easiest to rewrite — turned out to be harder than I expected. Around that time, I was diagnosed with tendinitis in my left hand while I was trying to finish the book. I knew my hand had been bothering me, but I didn’t realize how bad it was until Christmas Eve 2014, when I tried to hold a candle at my parents’ church and pain shot straight through my wrist and fingers.

That sent me to the doctor, then a specialist, who ran nerve tests using small electric currents (it didn’t hurt — just felt strange). The results showed tendinitis in my left pinky, ring finger, and thumb. I had secretly hoped it was carpal tunnel (since that can be fixed with surgery), but tendinitis is something you just have to manage.

From that point on, I had to be much more careful while typing and working. I switched to a wireless mouse, learned about speech recognition software in fall 2015, and got an ergonomic keyboard and mouse for Christmas that year — all of which made a huge difference and helped keep the pain under control.
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If you’re a writer dealing with hand or wrist pain, ergonomic equipment is a lifesaver. A properly sized desk, a comfortable chair, and a monitor positioned in front of you can seriously help reduce strain and inflammation. Your hands will thank you.