A Time For Everything

It's time for an update on the cramps versus calcium fight. This is month four now...

So I'd been taking about 1700mg of calcium everyday--it's the higher end of the threshold, just FYI, but I'm still taking the calcium carbonate tablets (because I have them) and it's harder for the body to absorb that variety so...

Anyway, leading into the onset of my last period, I didn't notice any cramps. Only maybe a slight feeling of being uncomfortable in my mid-section, but only if I really focused and felt for them.

First day was a light day and still no pain to speak of. Second day was a normal flow day and I could definitely feel the cramps. I held off on taking ibuprofen until mid-day as I wanted to see how bad they might get. They were tolerable, but just barely. I really hate pain, so my tolerance is rather low. I finally decided the heck with it and took some pain reliever. It seemed to kick in faster than I remember, so I'm not sure if that's due to the calcium or my activity levels or what, but it was a bonus.

I stayed active once I got home and even though my dose of ibuprofen wore off, the pain didn't return. Even better.

Day three was another normal flow day, but the cramps remained minimal all day. No pain reliever needed.

In the interest of full disclosure, it had been a week (six or seven days) since I had any ice cream, but I did have bowl of cereal or two within one or two days of starting. It seems direct dairy intake is always involved so not sure how that skews the results. But I guess the point is calcium ingestion one way or the other, so...

So far, things are leaning toward calcium helping to reduce cramping overall, but not eradicating them altogether.

On another note, I discovered that the body cannot absorb that much calcium all at once, so it I had to alter the experiment. It was recommended that the dosages be taken with a meal so that was my intent. It didn't work out so well. I had a really hard time remembering to take my tablet with lunch and then dinner, so this month seemed pretty much a bust. At the first sign of cramps I caved and popped some ibuprofen.

Getting back on track and determined to remember to take that darn calcium when I'm supposed to.

As most of you know, I write fan fiction. I love to read well written fic and I love to write it. Several years ago, while heavily involved in the BBC's Robin Hood fandom, I tried something I'd never done before. Something I was nervous about, but bound and determined to see through to the very end.

I know you're wondering what this thing is. Well, this thing is the act of posting chapters/parts/episodes of your story as you write it, rather than waiting until the whole thing is complete. I'd been the victim, more than once, of other fic writers who go great guns, writing and posting, writing and posting, and then blam, they drop off the face of the earth and you never know the outcome of the story. It's very frustrating, and I never wanted to be THAT fic writer.

So it was after much consideration and still a fair amount of trepidation that I decided to give it a try. The first handful of chapters were posted haphazardly with weeks and sometimes a month between them. I finally developed a routine and never went more than two weeks between posts.

As part of fandom activities, we had all kinds of contest--one was to make a movie poster based on favorite fan fics. My fic was chosen by two of my fandom mates. This was one.


Between October 29, 2009 and March 3, 2011, I posted thirty-seven chapters, a bonus chapter, and an epilogue; I juggled three intertwined plot threads; and wrote a whopping 88K+ words on that story alone, chapter by chapter, week by week. The writing of this story was my haven and escape from the world--see, my dad died right before Thanksgiving of 2009 and we buried him the Saturday after. I grieved for well over a year.



I must admit I was tired at the end and really struggled to complete the story for folks who'd been following the saga. But I did it and experienced quite the feeling of accomplishment for doing so. The experiment was a success.

And now you're probably asking what the point of that tale is...

Well, the point is, I've been wanting to write a serialized story for my blog. One of my CPs is doing it (yes, at my suggestion) and many other authors do it as well. I started one and had been posting it to an alternate blog when I was planning on using a pen name.

I'm just concerned--partly for the same things. Can I write the story to its conclusion? Can I write enough to post on a regular basis? But my biggest worry--which feeds both the others--is: can I come up with a sustainable plot line. That's my biggest weakness and why it seems easier for me to write fan fiction than original fiction. Not that I can't write, 'cause when I have the details, I can bang out words like nobody's business.


And it's really strange because all I started with on the above story were two elements: a portal to an alternate reality and the fact that the heroine (Marian) would end up pregnant in one of the alternate realities. With those two pieces of information, I was off and running.

It seems like the more I learn about writing the harder it becomes. Too many do's and dont's and don't forget's and make sure's. Ugh.I guess I'll ponder the whole thing some more and try to brainstorm an idea.

Do you follow any blogs where authors post parts of a continuing story?