Tag: Joy Held

Thursday Thot: Guest Claudia Taller

Posted on by Joy Held

xxx

 

Thursday Thot:

 

There are five primary areas of practice to the Writer Wellness plan. Every other week I will post an idea for relaxation (Monday Meditation,) creative play (Tuesday Tickle,) fitness and exercise (Wednesday Workout,) journaling and misc. (Thursday Thought,) and nutrition (Friday Feast.)

 

Meanwhile, remember to look for a digital or print copy of Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity at Who Dares Wins Publishing, http://whodareswinspublishing.com.

 

And check out these great blogs for ideas to keep your writing and publishing healthy and prosperous.

 

http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/ Bob Mayer

 

http://jenniholbrooktalty.wordpress.com/ Jenni Holbrook

 

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ Kristen Lamb

 

http://inspiration4writers.blogspot.com/ Inspiration for Writers, Inc.

 

http://pentopublish.blogspot.com/ Natalie Markey

 

http://amyshojai.com Amy Shojai

 

Check out my new website Joy E. Held

 

Have you subscribed to this Writer Wellness blog yet? Get email updates when a new post is added. Click “subscribe” and leave your email. That’s it and thanks in advance!

 

 

 

Be well, write well

 

Wednesday Workout: Fitness In Six Words

Posted on by Joy Held

 

 

 

Sweat nourishes my brain with rebirth.

Comments limited to six words, please.

There are five primary areas of practice to the Writer Wellness plan. Every other week I will post an idea for relaxation (Monday Meditation,) creative play (Tuesday Tickle,) fitness and exercise (Wednesday Workout,) journaling and misc. (Thursday Thought,) and nutrition (Friday Feast.)

Meanwhile, remember to look for a digital or print copy of Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity at Who Dares Wins Publishing, http://whodareswinspublishing.com.

And check out these great blogs for ideas to keep your writing and publishing healthy and prosperous.

http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/ Bob Mayer

http://jenniholbrooktalty.wordpress.com/ Jenni Holbrook

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ Kristen Lamb

http://inspiration4writers.blogspot.com/ Inspiration for Writers, Inc.

http://pentopublish.blogspot.com/ Natalie Markey

http://amyshojai.com Amy Shojai

Check out my new website Joy E. Held

Have you subscribed to this Writer Wellness blog yet? Get email updates when a new post is added. Click “subscribe” and leave your email. That’s it and thanks in advance!

Be well, write well

Tuesday Tickle: Creativity In Six Words

Posted on by Joy Held

 

 

Art is blind faith in control.

 

Comments limited to six words, please.

 There are five primary areas of practice to the Writer Wellness plan. Every other week I will post an idea for relaxation (Monday Meditation,) creative play (Tuesday Tickle,) fitness and exercise (Wednesday Workout,) journaling and misc. (Thursday Thought,) and nutrition (Friday Feast.)

Meanwhile, remember to look for a digital or print copy of Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity at Who Dares Wins Publishing, http://whodareswinspublishing.com.

 

And check out these great blogs for ideas to keep your writing and publishing healthy and prosperous.

 

http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/ Bob Mayer

 

http://jenniholbrooktalty.wordpress.com/ Jenni Holbrook

 

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ Kristen Lamb

 

http://inspiration4writers.blogspot.com/ Inspiration for Writers, Inc.

 

http://pentopublish.blogspot.com/ Natalie Markey

 

http://amyshojai.com Amy Shojai

 

Check out my new website Joy E. Held

 

Have you subscribed to this Writer Wellness blog yet? Get email updates when a new post is added. Click “subscribe” and leave your email. That’s it and thanks in advance! 

Be well, write well

Monday Meditation: Meditation In Six Words

Posted on by Joy Held

Nothing, everything matters inside my peace.

 

Comments limited to six words, please.

There are five primary areas of practice to the Writer Wellness plan. Every other week I will post an idea for relaxation (Monday Meditation,) creative play (Tuesday Tickle,) fitness and exercise (Wednesday Workout,) journaling and misc. (Thursday Thought,) and nutrition (Friday Feast.)

 

Meanwhile, remember to look for a digital or print copy of Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity at Who Dares Wins Publishing, http://whodareswinspublishing.com.

And check out these great blogs for ideas to keep your writing and publishing healthy and prosperous.

http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/ Bob Mayer

http://jenniholbrooktalty.wordpress.com/ Jenni Holbrook

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ Kristen Lamb

http://inspiration4writers.blogspot.com/ Inspiration for Writers, Inc.

http://pentopublish.blogspot.com/ Natalie Markey

http://amyshojai.com Amy Shojai

Check out my new website Joy E. Held

Have you subscribed to this Writer Wellness blog yet? Get email updates when a new post is added. Click “subscribe” and leave your email. That’s it and thanks in advance!

Be well, write well

Thursday Thought: Eleven Senses, Who Knew? Guest Post Marilyn Kelly

Posted on by Joy Held

Most of us have eleven senses – who knew?

When I began writing fiction, I assembled word lists to correspond to commonly used phrases such as ‘she looked’ and ‘he turned’. Soon I had cut and pasted two pages of stronger verbs from various thesauri on the internet and added words from reference books I own. Eager to find equally strong adverbs and adjectives, I compiled lists for colors and smells. While researching the five senses, I went to Wikipedia, and it was there I first discovered the eleven scientifically recognized senses.

The five commonly known senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste) were defined by Aristotle. The other six seem just as important, especially for a fiction writer. Pain, temperature, time, motion/acceleration, direction, and balance are all essential to fully expressing the human condition. In nearly every scene, authors need to check in with our characters to determine their comfort and actions. If they are teetering on the edge of a cliff, writers need the words to describe their sensations.

There are also internal receptors that regulate breathing, heart rate, vasodilation (flushing and blushing), intestinal distress, and swallowing. While these are also important for accurate character descriptions, they are not usually considered senses. Likewise, sense of ethics, humor, style, etc. should be reflected in your characters’ actions.

The senses are of little impact if we don’t translate them into Emotions (the lifeblood of great fiction) and Body Language (how we communicate emotions and sensory input.) I created lists for those as well. A good writers’ workshop weaves all three sets of lists to help craft compelling scenes. I recently self-published my lists in book form, which is available on Amazon. I have a workshop I put together using the lists and sensory props, which I presented at the RT 2010 convention and the Romance Writers of America national conference. I invite fellow writers to explore these new concepts and see how sensual your writing can become.

I use these lists when I’m searching for a stronger word, a plausible reaction, or a non-stereotypic gesture. I shade each story with different color palettes, highlight certain emotions, and assign characters defining mannerisms. These lists help me stay within bounds so my stories have depth and consistency. In first drafts, they ease my searches. In final edits, they supply the variation on overused terms. I hope they help all writers as much as they do me.

Also, I have put together a ‘Workshop in a Bag- Just add Chocolate’ for writer’s groups to have in case a speaker doesn’t show, or if no speaker is available. Using this, any good public speaker can take the outline, handouts, and props and put on an engaging workshop (just add chocolate.) If you want to know more, or would like to have me conduct an  Eleven Senses – Who Knew? workshop, please contact me at marilyn@marilynkelly.net.

Happy writing,

Marilyn

http://blog.marilynkelly.net/

 

There are five primary areas of practice to the Writer Wellness plan. Every other week I will post an idea for relaxation (Monday Meditation,) creative play (Tuesday Tickle,) fitness and exercise (Wednesday Workout,) journaling and misc. (Thursday Thought,) and nutrition (Friday Feast.)

Meanwhile, remember to look for a digital or print copy of Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity at Who Dares Wins Publishing, http://whodareswinspublishing.com. 

And check out these great blogs for ideas to keep your writing and publishing healthy and prosperous.

 

http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/ Bob Mayer

 

http://jenniholbrooktalty.wordpress.com/ Jenni Holbrook

 

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ Kristen Lamb

http://inspiration4writers.blogspot.com/ Inspiration for Writers, Inc.

 

http://pentopublish.blogspot.com/ Natalie Markey

 

http://amyshojai.com Amy Shojai

 

Check out my new website Joy E. Held http://www.joyeheld.com

 

Have you subscribed to this Writer Wellness blog yet? Get email updates when a new post is added. Click “subscribe” and leave your email. That’s it and thanks in advance!

 

Be well, write well


 

Tuesday Tickle: Losing the Ball

Posted on by Joy Held

I literally had a ball this past weekend at the Skyline Writers Conference  http://skylinewriters.com/  in southwest Cleveland where I gave a presentation (“Your Brain on Yoga: How Exercise and Nutrition Make You A Better Writer”). The thirty participants were attentive, energetic, and focused. They have serious plans to be writers! I applaud them all.

First , let me congratulate the other three presenters at Skyline who gave wonderful, interactive lectures on topics important to writers today.

                Mara Purnhagen http://www.marapurnhagen.com/  offered a well-informed session about young adult fiction. Her books published with Harlequin Teen http://www.eharlequin.com/catalogsearch.html?keyword=mara+purnhagen&tab=items&vcname=Catalog_Search lend power to her premise about the “five page rule for young adult.” If you can’t hook a teen reader by page five, say good-bye to them. This is good to know.

                Kelly Boyer Sagert http://www.kbsagert.com/index.html gave a fabulous presentation on non-fiction writing. Her personal story of “accidently” becoming a boomerang expert is hilarious and informative. She is living the life of a non-fiction writer to the fullest and doing it well. Her words are golden.

                Lisa Roecker http://lisaandlauraroecker.com/index2.php#/home/and her younger sibling, Laura have recently released a young adult title through Source Books http://www.sourcebooks.com/ . Lisa gave a wonderful presentation on the basics of social media for writers. Lisa got the most questions of the day proving that the topic is hot, and her presentation was excellent. Audience participation says it all at these conferences.

                I spoke about the five practices of Writer Wellness and recent developments in the world of brain research and how the new information applies to writers. For an “ice breaker”, I tossed out a beach ball covered in questions I wrote on the ball in permanent marker. I think everyone had fun with this activity and it got them thinking. They had to answer questions like, “Do you track you salt intake on a daily basis?” and “Did you eat any fruit today, if so what?” The most laughs happened when someone threw the ball hard enough to dislodge the lights overhead or when someone totally missed the ball even with both arms stretched overhead. Of course, we did breathing exercises squeezing stress balls, and I guided everyone through the basic alignment principles of Standing Mountain Pose.

                The Skyline Writers Conference  http://skylinewriters.com/ was really well organized, and I’m honored to have been a speaker this year. Look it up. The information and the setting are stellar. 

There are five primary areas of practice to the Writer Wellness plan. Every other week I will post an idea for relaxation (Monday Meditation,) creative play (Tuesday Tickle,) fitness and exercise (Wednesday Workout,) journaling and misc. (Thursday Thought,) and nutrition (Friday Feast.)

Meanwhile, remember to look for a digital or print copy of Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity at Who Dares Wins Publishing, http://whodareswinspublishing.com.

And check out these great blogs for ideas to keep your writing and publishing healthy and prosperous.

http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/ Bob Mayer

http://jenniholbrooktalty.wordpress.com/ Jenni Holbrook

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ Kristen Lamb

http://inspiration4writers.blogspot.com/ Inspiration for Writers, Inc.

http://pentopublish.blogspot.com/ Natalie Markey

http://amyshojai.com Amy Shojai

Check out my new website Joy E. Held http://www.joyeheld.com

Have you subscribed to this Writer Wellness blog yet? Get email updates when a new post is added. Click “subscribe” and leave your email. That’s it and thanks in advance!

Be well, write well

Monday Meditation: Getting Lost In Your Own Mind

Posted on by Joy Held

Getting lost is a disconcerting sensation. For many goal-oriented people, being lost means something, somewhere broke down along the lines of their motto, “I cannot cope with the worst case scenario, so I will over-plan to be prepared if the worst happens.” While making a plan, then working that plan is a valid approach to achieving success, the best of us get lost. Coping with the reality might be easier if we practice meditation because the feeling of being lost in our own minds and bodies but not experiencing panic is possible. Then it’s a matter of transferring that lesson to real life situations.

The key is surrender. The first few minutes of sitting in meditation are normally a challenge almost every time we go to the cushion. That’s because we are so used to holding on to things. It’s a natural sensation to want to hold on. In my opinion, everyone is born with the desire to hold on because our bodies are constantly pulled on by gravity. It makes sense to me to hold on to things, people, and myself simply because it’s how we function in relationship to the earth’s pull on our beings. Surrendering to this awareness of being held onto by gravity is a first step when sitting in meditation.

Up to the first ten minutes of meditation practice is basically about noticing gravity’s hold over our bodies, organs, and senses. Simply notice, then intentionally start at the source of the pull and work upwards through the body to relax or let go of the worry about being pulled down all the time. It’s very normal to feel everything settling downward (some people note this as being “grounded”), and it’s at this point of everything being settled down we try to surrender it all to a feeling of weightlessness. We let go of the worry. Surrender to gravity’s pull then allow the anxiety about whether or not it’s working to surface and face it. At this point it’s possible to get lost in the lightness of being and just breathe until the session is ended.

It’s surrendering to the power of being lost and letting go of expectations that we practice on the cushion then try to recall when we get lost on the highway or in a tricky plot pattern we’re writing. In meditation we keep breathing and follow the breath to the end. In real life, we should apply the breath to keep us calm and working toward correcting the wrong turn or the wrong speech or the wrong choice. Everyone gets lost. It’s easier for some than others to deal with being off-track. A few moments of being lost in your own mind everyday and surfacing to a better place in the end is one possible way to learn how to deal with the real world situation of losing your way no matter how much you plan in advance.

All the outlines, maps, and global positioning devices in the world cannot teach us how to cope. Those are tools for dealing with and correcting the problem. Applying lessons learned on the meditation cushion to daily realities is one method of coping with being lost along the journey. It happens to everyone occasionally. For those goal-oriented folks like me, the key is adding “get lost” to the plan.

There are five primary areas of practice to the Writer Wellness plan. Every other week I will post an idea for relaxation (Monday Meditation,) creative play (Tuesday Tickle,) fitness and exercise (Wednesday Workout,) journaling and misc. (Thursday Thought,) and nutrition (Friday Feast.)

Meanwhile, remember to look for a digital or print copy of Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity at Who Dares Wins Publishing, http://whodareswinspublishing.com.

And check out these great blogs for ideas to keep your writing and publishing healthy and prosperous.

http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/ Bob Mayer

http://jenniholbrooktalty.wordpress.com/ Jenni Holbrook

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ Kristen Lamb

http://inspiration4writers.blogspot.com/ Inspiration for Writers, Inc.

http://pentopublish.blogspot.com/ Natalie Markey

http://amyshojai.com Amy Shojai

Check out my new website Joy E. Held

Have you subscribed to this Writer Wellness blog yet? Get email updates when a new post is added. Click “subscribe” and leave your email. That’s it and thanks in advance!

Be well, write well

Friday Feast: A Homeboy For Everyone

Posted on by Joy Held

“Eat Right 4 Your Type” is my homeboy. I’m using the term to mean “my closest friend,” and when I don’t pay attention to my food program (I don’t say “diet” because the first three letters spell “die” and I first heard this from exercise slash weight loss guru Richard Simmons,) I pay the price. My homeboy Eat Right explains clearly what my food choices should be. I must avoid a particular list of foods. I can eat from the highly beneficial, beneficial, and neutral lists to my heart’s content. It’s that simple. If I listen to my homeboy food counselor, there are no dietary or health issues to deal with. So why can’t I be faithful to the lists? Because I eat from the avoid list and create cravings and upset the apple cart and my digestive system.

Everywhere I turn there is a homeboy lurking it seems. Country music hunk Eric Church released his song “Homeboy” earlier this year to give fans (ME!) a tantalizing taste of his summer release album “Chief.” While “Homeboy”is a haunting song about finding a lost brother, only Eric Church (and songwriter Casey Beathart) could weave the word through a story/song/poem the way they have. It’s a great tune and the album builds on Church’s revamp style that brings Willie and Waylon to mind while listening to songs such as “Country Music Jesus” which cannot help but make your country gospel forehead drop forward and back over and over to the pounding rhythm. And Church lets out a warble or two or three and sounds exactly like the young, vocally strong Garth Brooks of yester-music. You won’t be disappointed in Church’s style and homage to homeboys and the black hat wearing bandits of country music (including Johnny Cash.)

And just when I think the word “homeboy” is a passing fad, my daughters receive key chains from a good friend engraved with “Arab Thunder is my homeboy.” And I know they are protected and watched over when I can’t be there (which is less and less as they gracefully mature.)

So a “homeboy” is what we need it to be and there when we need him to be. Kinda like an angel only with tattoos. Oh, well. Appearances are less and less the persona these days, and that forces us to look deeper to the true spirit of the homeboy so we can know what’s really inside.

Who’s your homeboy?

There are five primary areas of practice to the Writer Wellness plan. Every other week I will post an idea for relaxation (Monday Meditation,) creative play (Tuesday Tickle,) fitness and exercise (Wednesday Workout,) journaling and misc. (Thursday Thought,) and nutrition (Friday Feast.)

Meanwhile, remember to look for a digital or print copy of Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity at Who Dares Wins Publishing. They have a triple play sale going on now that includes Writer Wellness! Check it out before the deal is done.

And check out these great blogs for ideas to keep your writing and publishing healthy and prosperous.

http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/ Bob Mayer

http://jenniholbrooktalty.wordpress.com/ Jenni Holbrook

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ Kristen Lamb

http://inspiration4writers.blogspot.com/ Inspiration for Writers, Inc.

http://pentopublish.blogspot.com/ Natalie Markey

http://amyshojai.com/ Amy Shojai

My new website!

http://www.joyeheld.com

Have you subscribed to this Writer Wellness blog yet? Get email updates when a new post is added. Click “subscribe” and leave your email. That’s it and thanks in advance!

Be well, write well

Thursday Thot: Guest Kristen Lamb Reminds Us To T.H.I.N.K.

Posted on by Joy Held

Meet KristeneJust in case you aren’t following the fabulous social media expert for writers Kristen Lamb, I’m reposting a brilliant message she put up last week in her also fab course on creating a blog currently in extended session at Who Dares Wins Publishing. I share this because Kristen always hits the nail on the head while the rest of us are noodling around trying to decide which hammer to use. Let me know what you THINK of Kristen’s comments. Take it away Kristen.

 

I have been refraining from posting too many more lessons so that you guys would have time to work on your log-lines-blogs, etc. but this is something that came up this morning and I think it is important to address.

If you haven’t gotten by yesterday’s post, I updated my formula for an author brand.

Name + Great Content + Positive emotions= Author Brand

The positive emotions thing is really important, because I see too many writers posting rants, and I don’t like that at all. It isn’t productive and there is a guarantee that at least some people will walk away feeling like crap. They will feel defensive and under attack. This certainly is not a way to make friends.

A good example…

Today, a writer on Twitter posted a nice little rant about “experts.” So, as you can imagine, I checked it out. This writer/blogger probably enjoyed a lot of hits. While I don’t believe she was targeting me…it still felt that way.

Granted, the writer made a lot of excellent points. I have even had some of the same gripes. Any yahoo who opens a Twitter account is now a social media expert and can charge writers for their services. Yes, there are a lot of fakes. BUT, there are also a lot of people who have put in thousands of hours of hard work and who have a genuine intent to serve others.

Yet, the problem with a “rant blog” is it is a rant.

It isn’t a discussion or a debate. It is a bitch session. Nowhere in this blog does the writer ever spell out when a person has earned the right to be called an expert. She doesn’t give any positive examples. Why would she? It’s a rant.

I have seen similar posts blasting publishing, agents, editors, the government, etc. and yes, there are a lot of hits and likely a lot of comments…but at what price?

Rants are divisive. If we are on the attack, then someone else is the attack-ee. Maybe this writer wasn’t targeting me…but it sure felt that way. Why? Well, she never spelled out who fit her definition. Anyone with expert in front of a name was in the blast zone. Maybe it wasn’t me, but her rant was enough to make me waiver a bit and question what I am doing. It made me recount everything I have done and go over my mental resume to see if I really was a fraud after all (All writers already struggle with feeling like a fraud anyway).
Rants hurt others. They only inspire commiseration and misery loves company. People don’t walk away better from a rant. Rants don’t offer answers, because rants, by definition, are complaining, not problem-solving.

This isn’t to say that everything we blog about needs to be candy-coated. Frequently my position as a social media expert puts me at odds with other experts who don’t appreciate that writers are different and that the same tools that sell loads of pizzas won’t sell books. Is it the other experts are wrong? No. Their stuff just doesn’t work for writers. I try to never make it a value judgment. Why burn bridges when we don’t have to?

But that is exactly what rants do…they scorch earth.

I know in my blogs I often give advice that is contrary to other experts, but I always strive to do it in a way that allows the opposition to save face. I am clear who I’m talking about and I give solutions. I employ evidence and reasoning. This is a debate, not a rant.

So the reason I decided to post this is that I noted a definite change in my mood after reading this blog. Negativity has a way of clinging to us like the smell of burned popcorn. The writer’s blog certainly didn’t inspire pink fluffy feelings. But, I always believe there is a lesson to be learned.

I know that as writers we are artists and artists tend to be emotional. But we are now public figures and we must lead transparent lives. This world is small and our profession is brutal. We never know who we might need later, so alienating anyone is poor strategy. Yes, a rant might make us feel good short-term…but people have long memories, especially when they were the ones who felt attacked.

There is an acronym that I think is fabulous for life and for blogging:

THINK

Is it the Truth?

Is it Helpful?

Is it Informative?

Is it Necessary?

Is it Kind?

THINK is a wonderful litmus test for all of our posts. We can be opinionated, controversial, or even thought-provoking… but there is a way to do this that allows everyone to feel good at the end of it all and still be friends…who agree to disagree. Any post that draws firm lines in the sand can spell trouble.

Besides, we all have enough negativity. Doom, gloom, recession, mouthy kids, work, traffic. We are looking for content that makes us feel good, and what is better is that content that makes people feel great? They long to share it…and they can’t wait to return for more.

Many thanks, Kristen.

There are five primary areas of practice to the Writer Wellness plan. Every other week I will post an idea for relaxation (Monday Meditation,) creative play (Tuesday Tickle,) fitness and exercise (Wednesday Workout,) journaling and misc. (Thursday Thought,) and nutrition (Friday Feast.)

 

Meanwhile, remember to look for a digital or print copy of Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity at Who Dares Wins Publishing.

 

And check out these great blogs for ideas to keep your writing and publishing healthy and prosperous.

 

http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/ Bob Mayer

 

http://jenniholbrooktalty.wordpress.com/ Jenni Holbrook

 

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ Kristen Lamb

 

http://inspiration4writers.blogspot.com/ Inspiration for Writers, Inc.

 

http://pentopublish.blogspot.com/ Natalie Markey

http://amyshojai.com Amy Shojai

And don’t forget my new website Joy E. Held

 

Have you subscribed to this Writer Wellness blog yet? Get email updates when a new post is added. Click “subscribe” and leave your email. That’s it and thanks in advance!

Be well, write well

 

Wednesday Workout: Thinking Burns Calories?

Posted on by Joy Held

Yes, the brain uses energy to do its jobs like regulate heart beat and send messages to the nervous system, but did you know that thinking also burns calories beyond the brain’s normal usage? Our brains like the energy produced from eating carbs but it also thrives on fat. Go figure—literally. These nutrients are necessary for the brain to function but in proper portions.

 

Don’t get excited and think that sitting around writing all day will be all that’s necessary for the daily workout we need. Thinking hard, sorting through a novel’s plot problem, or deciding the best way to organize an article encourages neurons to produce the magic brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) that create new brain cells that make it easier to learn new things and to think in general. However….physical exercise has been proven in recent years to up the numbers considerably where BDNF is concerned. Physical exercitation accompanied with aerobic activity increases BDNF production making it easier to figure things out. So we still have to get physical to get thinking better which in turn contributes to everything writers need to stay healthy and productive. Workouts equal better thinking.

For more information, read Spark, The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John Ratey, M.D. and the evidence will hopefully provide the jolt we all need to start or keep exercising because it’s good for our bodies as well as our thinking.

 

Try scheduling a workout sometime between writing sessions. Notice how thinking is any different before and after the exercise and let me know your results.

 

There are five primary areas of practice to the Writer Wellness plan. Every other week I will post an idea for relaxation (Monday Meditation,) creative play (Tuesday Tickle,) fitness and exercise (Wednesday Workout,) journaling and misc. (Thursday Thought,) and nutrition (Friday Feast.)

 

Meanwhile, remember to look for a digital or print copy of Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity at Who Dares Wins Publishing, http://whodareswinspublishing.com.

 

And check out these great blogs for ideas to keep your writing and publishing healthy and prosperous.

 

http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/ Bob Mayer

 

http://jenniholbrooktalty.wordpress.com/ Jenni Holbrook

 

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ Kristen Lamb

 

http://inspiration4writers.blogspot.com/ Inspiration for Writers, Inc.

 

http://pentopublish.blogspot.com/ Natalie Markey

 

http://amyshojai.com Amy Shojai

 

http://www.joyeheld.com

 

 

Have you subscribed to this Writer Wellness blog yet? Get email updates when a new post is added. Click “subscribe” and leave your email. That’s it and thanks in advance!

Be well, write well