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When last heard from, I was “enjoying” a bout of croup. It’s much better now, and but there are some residual effects. Namely that I can’t talk too much without getting very croaky and my voice hurting.

Yes, I did say that my voice hurts. I’m finding all sorts of new terminology as a result of this experience. Another one is that I have to find out where to hold my voice in order to prevent strain. Interesting times.

After trying to do some writing and having a normal day this Monday, my voice started hurting and it became very clear that I have to spend some extended time being quiet.

I am not fond of this. In fact, there was some significant flailing. Because what on earth am I going to do with myself? But also, and perhaps more importantly, I work freelance. There is no such thing as vacation time, sick time, or short-term disability. It felt really important to keep working so I could avoid the starving artist stereotype.

And then my brilliant sister smacked me upside the head with these five words:

“Your voice is your money.”

And she is absolutely right. As a writer who uses voice recognition software, my voice is crucial to my ability to work. Without my voice, there are no more books, no more freelance work, no more email. Taking some time off now may have a financial impact in the short term, but forcing through it risks my future.

So I am taking the rest of the month off from working and doing my best to speak as little as possible.

I’m open to ideas about how to entertain myself. What would you do if you had to stay quiet for weeks?