Saturday, January 02, 2010

Bodies In Motion



Here's some random thoughts about writing and mildly interesting (or maybe not even mildly) discoveries of the last year. Hope everyone is well and recovered from holiday madness. Today the tree goes down. I had one of those mothers who took the Christmas tree down on Christmas afternoon while Beth and I crawled around picking up pine needles from the carpet. She wasn't one to linger in the holiday glow. And truth be told, I'm not either, but I gave it an extra week this year just because.

1 -- I work better with a word/page count than a set amount of time to write. Having done it both ways, I notice a huge increase in productivity when I have a goal to reach. I also get a lot less bogged down in my own worries and have an easier time with plot. Go figure.

2 -- Take a day off. I take Sundays off now and since I've started, more writing gets done. I think if you're "always writing," you're "never writing." Work hard and take a deserved rest. It's counter intuitive, but you'll get a lot more done.

3 -- Enjoy yourself. This one seems self explanatory, but I never gave it much thought before this year. I thought of writing as passion, pain, and most of the time, about as much fun as a colonoscopy. But I've been having a lot more fun, making myself laugh (fortunately I'm easily entertained), taking more risks. Not everything need be so very serious.

I'm sure there's more, but those are the essential truths that come to mind. Also, remember the whole body in motion stays in motion. I don't know about this when it comes to exercise, but I do know that this is true of any long writing project. Even a little each day is better than nothing to keep the flow.

Michelle's Spell of the Day
"I'm here today because I hated everything else." Wanda Sykes

Cocktail Hour
Nominations for favorite drink of the year? I'll be posting some new recipes very soon.

Benedictions and Maledictions
Happy Saturday!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Diet Citrus Drop available now at the fabulous low price of 75 cents per 2 ltr. bottle!!! Happy New Year!!! At your local KROGERS!!!!!--Mr. Whipple and Artie the bagger

Anonymous said...

Ray was not discouraged. He had been tirelessly submitting manuscripts to magazines for a decade, working every angle he could devise to form personal connections to editors who might appreciate his work. And now the most unexpected thing had occurred. His drinking buddy and casual friend had been plucked from the vast field of literary aspirants all over America and dropped down inside the fortress of New York City publishing. That, for Ray Carver, was a miracle.
And it was another miracle that his buddy was acting as a true friend, giving his manuscripts serious consideration. As the old decade closed, Ray yearned for new inspiration and discipline. He was ready for a fresh start.--Carol Sklenicka

Anonymous said...

Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!

Charles Gramlich said...

I'd agree with all these. I especially have learned not to push myself past a certain point or I start to lock up and then am spinning my wheels. Some breaks really help

Hard Reset Reviews said...

I had a rum runner for the first time and it was very delicious, i'd reccomend trying one if you haven't before

the walking man said...

*shrug* The one thing I learned is that if it becomes tedious, no matter what method of goal accomplishment used then stop.

I am winding it down now, like someone told me to, a few years ago.


What drinks can you make with Diet Pepsi?

Is that a $2 dollar question?

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Lana Gramlich said...

For a while I tried to make myself paint at least a little every day. Although I enjoyed the exercise, it didn't work out so well. I really do need to WANT to paint to do it right. Fortunately painting's quite different than writing, so I can indulge my slacker side more freely. *L* (I do hope to get my bike fixed at some point this Winter, though. Definitely need to get out & move more. Hiking's nice, but I wouldn't really call it exercise, at least not when you're hiking on constantly flat surfaces. Hiking up & down hills is another story, but there are no hills in the gently sloping swamps & marshes of S. Louisiana.)

jodi said...

Hey Babe, good tips to keep in mind. Being of the lazy, undiciplined sort, keeps it easy for me! I like it when you have fun with the writing, cuz it adds a sweet dimention to it and you! xoxo