March 2026 SOLC–Day 21
A huge thank you to Two Writing Teachers for all that they do to create an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write, learn, share and grow.
http://www.twowritingteachers.org
My afternoon Writing Club was gathered around the circular table in my classroom.
“My finger hurts here when I write,” L. said, pointing to a red spot on the inside of her middle finger.
“Oh,” I said, “that’s where you get a writer’s bump.”
I hold up my hand in front of her, pointing to the distinct callous on the inside of my middle finger.
“Wow!” she said, “Yours is really big!”
“Yup. And look, my middle finger is bent, too. I think it’s from the steady pressure of years of writing.”
She looked at my hand and then held up her own hand, spreading her fingers apart slightly. “Mine isn’t bent,” she said.
“Not yet,” I said, “but I’ve been writing for a lot more years than you.”
“How old are you?” she asks, tilting her head and scanning me.
“59.”
“Oh, I was two years off. I thought you were 61.”
“That’s close,” I said, sighing inwardly.
“Yeah,” she continued, “I didn’t think you were old old, but,” she gestured casually toward my hair, “you do have all that grey.”
“I do,” I confirmed.
Then we both went back to our writing.
Later on, I was thinking about my hand, my writer’s bump, and that bent finger. I like that there’s a physical manifestation of all my years of writing. It’s kind of like the years have done with the greying of my hair. There’s proof that the years have been passing and that I’ve been changing. Years and years of writing have made an imprint on me in more ways than one.
Nix the comfort zone 
Once again, your unique sense of humor gets me. I can hear your voice and see that we could compare hands. Do hands tell a story?
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I think you have a solid writing prompt in that last question. Actually, I’m pretty sure that someone this month wrote a compelling slice about their grandfather’s hands…(As I write this, I find myself hoping that it wasn’t you and that I’ve already forgotten!)
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You’re safe. It wasn’t me. But now that I am wearing my mother’s ring I see her hands when I look at mine.
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There’s definitely a poem living there.
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Thank you for this delightful slice! The innocent dialogue between you and your student bring me into this moment. I love that you shared your bump and your age…your student’s response is priceless. It’s a sign that age is really an artificial construct, but children often seem to be experts in it! I can’t help now to glance down at my writer’s bump. Proud of that finger’s deformity because of the stories it has told! Happy Saturday!
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Thanks! I’ve been looking at my writer’s bump affectionately all week because of this conversation. It was hard won!
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I, too have a fairly pronounced writer’s bump, though I do a lot less hand writing these days. The keyboard presents other issues, but no bumps. I wrote a poem about my grandfather’s hands many years ago, about playing that hand slapping game where you slap your hand on top of the other person’s hands and pull out the bottom hand to plop it on the top. I don’t have very many memories of him, but that was a clear one. Hands are very revealing.
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As I talked to the student, I was considering that writer’s bump might become (or already be) obsolete (not sure that’s the best word here!) because of keyboards. I write by hand every day, so I’m consistently “feeding” my own. Your hand memory sounds like a warm one. I’d forgotten all about that game!
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Love this! I think it’s time to embrace all the loving our bodies have done and celebrate!🎉
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*living 🤦🏻♀️
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Yes!
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I love the line about writing making its imprint on you in more ways than one. So lovely.
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Thanks! I like that there’s a visible imprint as well as other more subtle impacts.
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I love the dialogue and how you “sighed inwardly” when L guessed pretty close to your real age. Such a perfect slice.
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Thanks. I have to admit I wish she had guessed a few years younger! Of course she’s in 5th grade and has a better grasp of age than my 2nd graders. Their guesses at my age are wildly inaccurate…from 20s to 80s usually! lol
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I just love that your outside aligns to your inside – leading a writerly life manifesting with the bump. An imprint you can be proud of. And I bet all of us who read this today held up our hands to check our own bumps and bends, too.
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I like to think of everyone checking out their hands after reading this!
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You captured such a sweet moment! Out of the mouths of babes, am I right? 😆 I love how you reflected at the end on your pride in the aging process and what that means for you. A life well-lived and one full of writing! 💜
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Yep…have one too, from all of the letters I’ve written over the decades.. Wear the writer’s bump proudly.
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I wonder if future generations will have these?
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My first thought as I read this interaction was to encourage the young writer to loosen up on her grip–I didn’t even think of a writer’s bump, and as much as I also write by hand, I don’t have much of one.
I always love the way you capture these conversational moments with children–and their sometimes painful honesty about their perceptions of us! The photo of your hand with the notebook behind it is priceless! (If only you had taken one of hers…)
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I didn’t even think to take a picture of her hand next to mine. That would have been such an interesting contrast!
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How fascinating! Curious to know if you can get a writers bump on your weak hand? I have a callous on my middle finder as well but it’s on the inside of the finger. I also have one on my dominant hand, but on my index finger. I always found them annoying, but writers bump makes them less annoying to look at haha.
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I’m glad I gave you a new perspective!
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