You see, I have to close my eyes frequently when I write these days. I had two cataract surgeries last month. (I know, most people don't need them till they're older, but I'm among the lucky few.) My eyes are healing well, but they are very dry and they tire easily. I also think that the fancy coating on my glasses had been doing their thing because now that I don't wear glasses, except to read up close or to drive, my eyes are more sensitive to light, whether sunlight or the light from my computer screen.
And that is why I have been typing with my eyes closed. And even though this course of action was born of necessity, I find that I am, in fact, writing with less inhibition, and faster, because I have fewer things to pay attention to, namely typos and weird spacing in my words. Thoughts are flowing more smoothly from my mind to the screen.
I wouldn't say that my new way of working has freed up my writing all that significantly, but I am rather enjoying the process. If you will tolerate a bit of pop-psych terminology, I'd even say that I am embracing this unexpected gift.
Maybe you'd like to try it sometimes and see if helps.
7 comments:
Because I have glaucoma - yay, me! another degenerative disorder people don't usually get until later - I am seriously light sensitive (I went through a period of having such dry, sensitive eyes that I couldn't wear contact lenses. Trauma!). As dusk fades into night, I find that the light from the computer screen can be too much or invasive. Transitional times are hardest - writing at dawn can be weird, too. So, I, too, write with eyes closed a lot.
Check out F.lux, by the way - I find that it really, really helps with the light sensitivity during transitional hours especially.
My meds dry my eyes out, leaving me defenseless to Arizona's notoriously arid clime. I carry those teensy bottles of fake teardrops with me and they help a lot. My problem is I have to DRIVE with my eyes closed a lot. And pulling over isn't always an option, depending on where I am when my tear ducts fail. On the plus side, I pray a lot more often these days. :)
Getting older sucks.
Yay for, I suppose, making lemonade. :) I go through periods of light sensitivity--for a while it was so bad that whenever I would go to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned, the moment they'd shine the light in my face my eyes would start streaming like crazy. It was so embarrassing! I had to wear sunglasses while they did the cleaning. Apparently I was not the only one who had to do that, but still. (Eventually it went away again, or at least it wasn't as severe.)
"Typing with my eyes closed" would be a great title for an inspirational book about writing, or a memoir... :)
I'm sorry that your eyes get tired so easily. But I've known many people who've gone through the same surgery and they recover fast! :)
And I like what you say--I usually tend to stop a lot to find typos, and it would be great for me. I'll give it a try... though I must admit that if I read this post like a year ago, I wouldn't have been able to write with my eyes closed at all! Now I can, and I feel so proud, lol!
Oh Yat-Yee, I'm sorry to hear about the problems your eyes have been giving you. I hope they heal up strong, SOON.
You know, typing with my eyes closed is something I sometimes do. When I first starting using the computer I found it hard to concentrate, so used was I to writing by hand. I found closing my eyes was a BIG help!
I wonder if doing that activates other parts of your brain not normally used when composing things?
Lovely blog yyou have here
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