After yesterday's hate-filled missive it's time for something a little more light. Alright, a lot more light.It's time to talk about nails.
Yes, nails. Fingernails, to be more precise -- and the challenge they pose to all good writers of the world. Now, men, unless you are guitar players, this post likely doesn't concern you. But for women who like even a hint of nail, finding just the right length without inhibiting keyboard mobility is a very, very hard thing to do. It's a serious issue that must be addressed.
Too long, and they clank and click against the keys, resulting in numerous typos and deletions. Too short, and, well, they just don't look that pretty, do they? I'm not a person prone to excessive nail painting, but I do like some colour from time to time. And when that occasion arises, I like to have a bit of nail to play with.
Surprisingly, this isn't a topic I've seen addressed in the plethora of writing books I've consulted. Stephen King -- nothing. Anne Lamott -- nada!
So tell me, women (and men of the metrosexual persuasion) writers of the world: how do you cope with this burning issue?
**(Erm, I do apologise for the content of this post. I'm seriously braindead.)**
This is a deep and profound issue that deserves more attention in the writing community :)
ReplyDeleteBack when I had an office job, I did make an attempt to have well-groomed nails and a regular polish. Since I've been doing the stay-at-home-writer thing, my nail grooming has taken a bit of a nosedive. They're still longish and reasonably even, but haven't seen polish for...oh, about a year.
Tawna
I agree with Tawna - I'm glad that somebody finally addressed this critical issue!
ReplyDeleteMy fingernails are weak, breaking easily. It doesn't help with all of the cooking and washing dishes I do. So mine are always short and neglected. Nobody would mistake me for a socialite.
I was proud of doing a show and not tell, by having my MC dig her nails into her palms.
I love to hear the clicking of my nails on the keyboard because it means I've conquered my immature nail-biting habit. At least for awhile, and at least for maybe oh..3 or 4 nails. Right now, nothing, only the soft sound of finger pads hitting the keys. Aaargh I hate myself! I think I'll go buy some black polish. Or dark brown. That at least looks good on short stubby nails.
ReplyDeletei'm used to keepimg mynails short from when i played the violin.
ReplyDeleteAlso, i can't grow them out very long, they break. So i guess it's not an issue for me
I'm afraid the countless hours that have been spent on this topic has still not been a help for most of us. I mean why can't my nails be so long they curl under to touch my wrist? Why don't the computer manufacturers work on this issue and make laptops nail friendly! WHY NOT THEM!! ;o)
ReplyDeleteSeriously. I do attempt to keep my nails at a comfortable but typable (yes I just put that word out there - sue me) length. Sometimes I have had acrylics for an event and well the typing did not go so well. I prefer what some salons call the Sport Length. just long enough to be pretty with polish, but short enough I can still type.
;o)
Thanks for the fun topic today ;o)
Visit My Kingdom Anytime
I love this post! Normally, I like wearing my nails long and polished to boot but it does interfere with typing. So, I've taken to wearing them shorter for just that reason. Ah, the sacrifices we make for our writing.
ReplyDeleteOh
ReplyDeleteI've given up on my fingernails - they're brittle and ugly and misshapen.
My toenails on the otherhand (no pun intended!!) are done to pedicure perfect perfection!
Aubergine and bright reds only for my nail-toesies thank you!
:-)
Take care
x
Can you believe the writing community focuses more attention on punctuation and the like than nails? Hard to believe, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I'm not the only one struggling with this issue. Yes, writing does require sacrifice...
And Old Kitty - oh, how racy! Bright red and aubergine!
ReplyDeleteHahaha. I sometimes wonder, if in a different world, I should have been a hand model, not a writer. My fingernails, if I ever let them, grow perfectly - strong, a good shape - without me having to do anything. I am not a girlie girl, I don't shape them, paint them (unless a rare fancy), or do much with them at all - apart from chop them off on a regular basis so I can type. I have decided that when I finish the redrafting I might go for a manicure as a symbol of finishing - but since the next thing I want to do is start illustrating again (think black ink) I doubt there is much point!
ReplyDeleteNails? What nails?
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you're bringing this issue to light. It's been so overlooked in the media--such a travesty.
ReplyDeleteI've had to keep my nails short--no clangity clang on the keyboard for me. Except for when I get too lazy to trim them. Then I have issues. It's times like these that I'm so glad to come across posts like yours, which admittedly, is not often, um, ever :)
Indeed this difficult issue does deserve attention. ;-)
ReplyDeleteAs a gal with tiny hands, I feel I can't clip short like a guitarist--it makes my fingers look stumpy. So yes, I have to reassess the length issue every few days, trying to fine a happy medium of nice looking but not keyboard catching.
Well, I've been a nail biter since I was, oh, 4 years old? I've gone through mind-boggling self-control phases where I let them grow out, but they're very thin and peel easily, so that never lasts long. And the acrylics are nice, but expensive to upkeep...
ReplyDeleteSo biting it is. Blame it on my mother and some sort of baby-formed oral fixation.
I bite my nails and they're always in terrible condition, so I keep them bitten down at least a millimetre below the top of my fingers. Perfect so long as I don't decide to pursue my dream of being a kick-ass girl bassist in a band. You know, the kind who wears beat-up Converse and funny t-shirts on stage and refuses to sing backing vocals.
ReplyDeleteI used to have strong nails, but using hand sanitizer dozens of times a day (work related, I'm not obsessive) has made my nails much drier and brittle. They still grow like weeds though so I'm always clipping them. Yeah, I don't file them often, just clip them into a nice shape. If I'm feeling adventurous, I'll buff them too.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I have to have them fairly short to type. Right now, they're okay, about two millimeters long. But in the next day or two, I'll need to clip again. I type on a netbook, and while the keyboard is almost full-sized, it's still a bit harder.
I confess, I keep mine pretty short. The second i start messing up on the keyboard, they get a trim. And I'm not prissy, so they almost never get painted, either.
ReplyDeletehahahaha
ReplyDeleteyou mean you haven't bitten all of yours off yet???
<3333
When I see women with perfectly manicured nails I feel inadequate. But if I bothered to get my nails done I know I'd just chip the polish once I start typing. And then I'd feel self-conscious about the one or two chipped nails, and then I'd just remove all the polish so that my nails aren't uneven. So I just keep them cut short. I'm glad you wrote this post; it's nice to know other people think about these things too.
ReplyDeleteI bit my nails until I was 18 so as an adult I value them much more. I've found the humidity of Bangkok suits my nails and they grow long here. Mani and Pedis are pretty cheap too - a weekly treat if you don't die of boredom doing it that regularly. But... I can't bear my fingernails to have any colour on them: toenails are fine but I just don't feel grown up enough for polish on my fingers. I feel like I'm wearing my mother's heels. So a little bit of white is fine for me.
ReplyDeleteI didn't have a choice, I HAD to learn to type with long nails. Not crazy long, but long enough to sometimes "clank against the keyboard" and still be pretty. It took a while, but since I type so much (writing and at work in general) it just kind came natural after a while.
ReplyDeletePolish is a different story, I can't seem to keep it on, so I just stick with the clear. Every once an a while I'll splurge for the franch manicure, but I'm cussing less that a week later about the chips.
~JD
I swear, the typos in the post above did not come from my nails! ;-) Lol.
ReplyDeleteSee, I *knew* this was a burning issue!
ReplyDeleteJustine, I was wondering what a franch manicure was, hehe! I am the worst at typos in the comment section, so no judgment can be passed here.
Neurotic, I feel your pain. I always hide my bare toenails in shame when I see perfect feet across from me on the Tube and such.
What a fun post! My nails are mess - a few long-ish ones, a couple really short because they just broke, but most are at or just beyond the tips of my fingers. No clacking. For the most part.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to have lovely manicured nails--but between teaching exercise classes and writing and another love (baking)I trash even the French nails too quickly.
ReplyDeleteMy solution: during summer I paint my toenails all sorts of neon colors!
Okay, I had to laugh reading this post because my mother and I spent almost the entire week last week discussing this issue. I kept insisting I couldn't have nails because I type. But, she found some incredible press-on nails at Walmart. Normally press-ons don't work all that well, but these are apparently very good - and they are short! Long enough to look nice but not so long that they inhibit typing. And the best part is that they are thin. Most fake nails are so thick you can't pick a penny up off the floor (if you were so inclined to do so). But these are nice and thin and workable - and only about $6.
ReplyDeleteYou can't beat that :)
Hm, breaking news going on here ;)
ReplyDeleteI keep my nails short, partly for ease with typing, but mostly because I don't have the time for maintenance!
Oh what a conundrum. My nails are so weak, if I look at the crooked they break. I would love well groomed shapely nails. I didn't realize I could blame writing for this dilemma. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteAs a man this is not a problem for me. But I am very picky about keyboards and I love Anne Lamott!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see this issue is finally being talked about, no one takes this issue seriously and this is not a light discussion.
ReplyDeleteThanks to my favorite ladies at Village Nails I'm able to keep them perfectly manicured to where they are never to long for my keystrokes. I never understood a happy medium but Kayla showed me the way.
I grew up playing the piano so nails were never an option for me. Now that I only play sporadically, I've kept my nails short because I'm most comfortable that way. When I do forget to trim them, I know as soon as my fingers hit the keyboard, and clippity-clip!
ReplyDeleteI have an award for you at my blog. :o)
Being a guitarist, writer AND constant nail chipper, I've never been able to maintain typical girly nails. I paint them, but that's the extent:)
ReplyDeleteAs a doctor and a writer, I have to say long nails are a major no-no for me. Plus the make me feel icky. So technical, right?
ReplyDeleteTalli, you wear lovely lace gloves as you type, would fit in with the Bohemian London look.
ReplyDeleteIt would look lovely in a slight Helena - Bonham Carter way, but would prove very practical
Love your blog! I had to cut mine short. Between gardening and writing, the nails had to go. I make up for it in pretty rings!
ReplyDeleteI had acrylic nails once, which was disgusting - gluing bits of plastic to your nails is ... blah... and it was hell to type with! But I find they can be a certian length and still not inhibit the typing. But typing over nails any time, I say! -And I have an award for you:)
ReplyDeleteLOL. I'm also a guitar player so I have them really short. I hardly ever paint them, and when I do, the varnish stays on them until nature cracks and crumbles it off! I'm so not a girly girl ... ah well
ReplyDeleteI wear contacts and play guitar so really long nails are a no-no for me. My nails are in pretty okay shape at the moment, not too long and not too short.
ReplyDeleteLOL - When I saw the title of this post, I assumed you were talking about novel length!
ReplyDeleteOf course, nail length is an equally important issue.
I keep mine short for maximized keyboard mobility. They grow fast and definitely hinder my progress if I let them get unruly.
I used to go fake, but I can't anymore. It's too time consuming to keep up with fake nails. Now I'm all natural--with a little paint from time to time.
ReplyDeleteI used to go fake, but I can't anymore. It's too time consuming to keep up with fake nails. Now I'm all natural--with a little paint from time to time.
ReplyDeleteOh, I don't have fingernails. *scoffs* I bite them during tense books and movies. Or Survivor. Hey! That show is intense sometimes!!
ReplyDeleteMine break. Or possibly get ground down by the keyboard. Actually, I'm pretty sure it's that.
ReplyDeleteOccasionally I end up with one fingernail longer than the others. Then it breaks too, and my actual finger pad gets to touch plastic for the first time in a week or two. That always feels bizarre for the rest of the day...!
I keep mine about mid-length, not short, not long. For a time, I had acrylics and they kept causing too many typing mistakes. Now, I just keep my own nails rounded and painted with clear gloss. They're not terribly strong, so they tend to break. Ah well.
ReplyDeleteHelen
Straight From Hel
I used to get my nails done. I always told my nail guy, "If I can't make a fist, they're too long." He seemed a little intimidated at first, because he thought I would punch him. (Imagine that, me punching my nail guy. *Snorts*) I suppose he thought that because at the time I started getting them done with my BFF, we were talking about a bar fight. *Coughs* Let's just leave it at that.
ReplyDeleteSo yes, they have to be short enough, yet a little bit of length, for me to make a fist. ;)
Such a burning issue. . .
ReplyDeleteI actually have to clip my nails lots because they grow so fast! I like to have just enough so it makes a nice curve. But I'm bad about the polishing!! It takes so much time to dry!
oh dear my nails are disgusting, probably because I spend most my time rolling round in the dirt with the pigs and all the other animals here!
ReplyDeleteWhen I worked as a machinist, some of the girls had long claw-like acrylic nails. They had trouble with the sewing machine needle going through them! Oh the tears when one of them broke! haha
I bite mine so I don't ever have any problems. But my hands are definitely not pretty. :)
ReplyDeleteLOL :) When I was young, my piano teacher got me to start biting my nails so they wouldn't click on the keys! Thankfully I quit that habit in highschool. Unfortunately I'm a klutz and constantly rip my nails on everything - so - no problem here :)
ReplyDeleteI wish I had this problem, but my nails are so incredibly flimsy they don't give me much choice. They rarely grow past the tips of my fingers. I suppose with all the typing I do I should be grateful, though sometimes they get down so far it's painful.
ReplyDeleteMine are natural and in the summer I like a clear coat white tipped look. I'll be visiting again soon.
ReplyDeleteHahaha. So funny. I play guitar, so the nails on my left hand are super short. And I play piano, so that means the nails on my right hand SHOULD be super short, but I hate not having at least some nails to do stuff like open CDs and scratch itches, etc. So, they're medium length. Not long enough to make typing hard, though. :)
ReplyDeleteI can't believe that Stephen King never mentioned anything about proper nail length! He needs to be notified about this omission!
ReplyDeleteI've actually thought of this. I have bitten my nails as long as I can remember, so no hindrances here. But... if by some miracle I ever let them grow out again I will have to find a different way to type... and a different way to play the flute (which, admittedly, I haven't played on a regular basis in over 10 years, but I can dream, can't I?). Might as well just keep biting them. :)
ReplyDeleteI got a bit excited when I saw this title pop up in my reader...hehe.
ReplyDeleteI bit my nails for practically my whole life until about two years ago, when I simply stopped. Was amazed at how easy it was when I decided I just wanted pretty nails! Now they keep getting long and I have to cut them because they get too long and it affects my typing :)