This Week on The Wet Noodle Posse
Noodlers finish up Writers' Health Month, and we begin a new topic, dear to our hearts, Golden Heart Contest Preparation.
Here’s what’s on the calendar for this week:
Monday, September 29th: Norah Wilson “Today Was a Good Day”
Tuesday, September 30th: Guest Blogger Bonnie Vanak, Author of Egyptian Historicals for Dorchester and Werewolf Paranormals for Silhouette Nocturne
Wednesday, October 1st: Priscilla Kissinger “Golden Heart Preparation Month Introduction” & Raffle winner for September Announcement
Thursday, October 2nd: Debra Holland “Why Enter the Golden Heart Contest”
Friday, October 3rd: Noodler New Releases for October
Labels: Bonnie Vanak, Debra Holland, Golden Heart, Norah Wilson, Priscilla Kissinger, Writers' Health
Q&A Friday!
Staying healthy isn't exactly free. At the very least, it takes your time, and writers often don't have a lot of that. Here's a scenario... Your book just hit the NYT bestseller list and you received a seven-figure advance on your next contract. Is there some purchase you'd make toward your health, whether it's a change of location, a piece of equipment, or a live-in massage therapist? Dream big, kids. A dream is very close to a plan.
Me, I'd hire a personal chef to make sure I didn't eat the same stuff every day and develop new allergies.
Labels: health, Writers' Health
EXERCISE FOR THE BRAIN
For me, daily exercise is more about the brain than the dress size. If I go two days without walking, biking, or moving in some form, I begin to feel sluggish and writing becomes a struggle. About two years ago I decided to make exercise a priority and I’ve never been happier.
All month on the Wet Noodle Posse we’ve been talking about staying healthy and positive. FOR ME, exercise is the key to staying happy and healthy. Exercise in ANY form rejuvenates me. I’ve been trying new things like hiking and kayaking (see picture). Exercise doesn’t have to take a lot of time either. Jog to the mailbox and back. Walk the dog. Walk the kid. Take the family kayaking or hiking for a few hours next Sunday. It’s a FUN and inexpensive way to get outdoors and see the world.
According to
Wikipedia, exercise is beneficial to the brain by:
- increasing the blood and oxygen flow to the brain
- increasing growth factors that help create new nerve cells and promote
synaptic plasticity (helps strengthen the connection of two neurons)
- increasing chemicals in the brain that help cognition (the processing
of information)
There are so many conflicting reports on how much exercise is good for you. I’m not a doctor, but I say do what feels right for you. And, of course, if you have health problems, consult a doctor first!
It’s easy to exercise every day because so many daily activities count as exercise. For instance, gardening counts! So does housecleaning or walking up and down the stairs. I spent two hours on Saturday pulling weeds and pruning. That was my exercise for the day!
What do you do to keep yourself moving? What’s your favorite exercise? Labels: exercise, Writers' Health
A FABLE, AN OXYMORON OR JUST A TALL TALE? By Guest Blogger Jennifer St. Giles
No, you didn’t read that incorrectly. Yes, you are in the right blog. The subject in question as I struggle to keep my eyes open and make coherent sentences is A Writer’s Health. My first reaction to such an oxymoron is to laugh. I mean really, for a writer to have real health would imply that he/she had a stable, rational, and only moderately stress inducing occupation. That will never be the case in the Wild Wild World of Publishing. One minute you’re on a bestseller list, the next minute you can’t sell a book. Then when you finally do set a hard deadline for a book, Murphy’s Law and every obnoxious goal destroying imp crawls out of the woodwork and conspires against you.
You think you’re going to set regular working hours where everyone respects that a creative mind if not genius is at work.
You think you’re going to eat healthy, small, but frequent meals to keep nutrients and energy in your body for maximum brain power.
You think you’re going to take five to ten minute breaks every hour to stretch your muscles and get your blood flowing.
You think you’re going to have a set exercise time to release all of those knots of tension.
You think you’re going to pace yourself perfectly so every day is pleasant, ordered, and productive.
But that rarely ever happens because oft times Writing is a Fabled Quest that can be best expressed by Joe Darion’s lyric for Don Quixote’s unforgettable song in Man of La Mancha.
To dream ... the impossible dream ...
To fight ... the unbeatable foe ...
To bear ... with unbearable sorrow ...
To run ... where the brave dare not go ...
To right ... the unrightable wrong ...
To love ... pure and chaste from afar ...
To try ... when your arms are too weary ...
To reach ... the unreachable star ...
This is my quest, to follow that star ...
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far ...
To fight for the right, without question or pause ...
To be willing to march into Hell, for a Heavenly cause ...
And I know if I'll only be true, to this glorious quest,
That my heart will lie will lie peaceful and calm, when I'm laid to my rest ...
And the world will be better for this:
That one man, scorned and covered with scars,
Still strove, with his last ounce of courage,
To reach ... the unreachable star ...
So when I hear stories of writers that have perfectly normal schedule with a lucrative career, who always diet right, exercise three times a week, have time for tennis or golf, and scrap book on the weekends after they’ve gone shopping or white water rafting with their five kids, I file that story away along with Pecos Bill taming the west while riding a twister.
Because in truth one can never truly harness creativity as one does a plow horse and writing is all about creativity. So a healthy writer realizes this and does what he/she can to minimize the fall out. There will always be the crazy rush and the deadline hell.
Currently that is where I am at, working on Bride of the Wolf with a Blind hero chained in the dungeon and a heroine in the clutches of a vampire bent on tearing apart her soul. I haven’t figured out how who will save who yet, but I’ll get there. Just remember that in all the craziness there are moments when a writer can sit back, relax. and enjoy the rewards of a story well told.
Happy Reading and I hope that you found a glimmer of advice in this rambling. And I invite you to check out my paranormal Shadowmen Series. Touch A Dark Wolf, Book 1. Lure of the Wolf, Book 2, Kiss of Darkness, Book 3 Coming 4/09. Bride of the Wolf Book 4. Coming 5/09.
www.jenniferstgiles.com I also have some great gothics on the shelf, so check them out, too.
Thank you for letting me share.
Jennifer St. Giles
Labels: Jennifer St. Giles, Writers' Health
This Week on the Wet Noodle Posse
This week we continue our month-long topic of Writer’s Health. Remember that responding to a post puts you in the running for this month's reader's choice raffle: a first chapter critique or bookstore gift certificate. The more you post, the better your chance of winning! Also, if there's a question about Writers' Health you're dying to ask, let us know. We'll be sure to address it on Friday.
Monday, September 15th: Diane Gaston “Think Positive”
Tuesday, September 16th: Guest Blogger Jennifer St. Giles (USA Today Bestselling Author of Gothic Historical and Paranormal Romance)
Wednesday, September 17th: Debra Holland “Stress and the Writers’ Life”
Thursday, September 18th: Guest Blogger Julianne MacLean (USA Today Bestselling Author of Passionate Historical Romance)
Friday, September 19th: Q&A (Readers Ask Questions, Noodlers Answer)
The Posse would like to extend cyber hugs to the Hurricane Ike survivors, those still in the storm's path, and to those readers who lost loved ones in the Los Angeles rail tragedy.
Labels: Debra Holland, Diane Gaston, Jennifer St. Giles, Julianne MacLean, Writers' Health
Q & A
It's Friday, and you know what that means--question and answer time.
Yesterday, Colleen wrote about healthy eating, which we should all strive for, but she also mentioned that she occasionally indulges in dark chocolate. So what do you indulge in, in moderation?
Me, you ask? I love apple pie or blueberry cobbler a la mode. But I don't eat this often, I swear!
Labels: Writers' Health
Get Up From That Desk
By Trish Milburn
We writers get the advice to BICHOK (Butt in Chair, Hands on Keyboard) all the time, and it’s good advice if you want to be productive. But I’d also like to advise you to get up from that chair at regular intervals. Your health could depend on it.
Like others before me have said, I’m not a medical professional. I don’t even play one on TV. But getting out of the chair a few minutes each hour, to me, is common sense. Why?
1. Blood clots –
Recent studies have shown that workers who sit at their desks for long periods of time without getting up are at a significantly higher risk of developing deep-vein thrombosis (blood clots in the legs). If these clots dislodge, they can travel to the lungs and heart and cause a pulmonary embolism or heart attack. I don’t know about you all, but I don’t want a blood clot to be what does me in.
2. Obesity – The term “couch potato” has been around a long time, but I think as many or more of us are computer potatoes. Not only do we work at our desks, but we play there too. Combine work, e-mail, blogs, computer games, etc., and you’re looking at lots and lots of hours sitting in a chair. If we don’t get up and move, we might soon either need a bigger chair or a bed at the hospital.
3. Eyestrain – All that staring at a computer screen can lead to headaches and eyestrain. In fact, I have a headache right now, the root of which is likely staring at this computer screen.
4. Productivity – How many of you notice your productivity goes up if you get up from the computer for a few minutes every hour then come back to your work in progress? I know mine does. This is especially true if I’ve taken a half-hour break to walk on the treadmill. It gives my brain a break while doing something healthy for my body.
If you get so engrossed in your work that you often look up and two hours have passed without you getting up from your chair, invest in a kitchen timer or alarm clock for your office space. Set it for however long you want to work before a break – 30 minutes, 45 minutes, whatever, but I’d suggest an hour or less. Then set it again for the amount of time you want to be on your break – 10, 15, 30 minutes.
Another thing you might try is working standing up for a few minutes. Set your laptop or a hard copy of your manuscript on a taller surface like your kitchen counters, and work there to give your body a break from all that sitting.
Remember, getting published or continuing to sell books after you’re published doesn’t mean a lot if you’re not around to enjoy it. I’m certainly glad I’m still around to enjoy today – the release day for my first book.
Labels: Writers' Health
Just Say No
“Just say no” isn’t only an 80’s anti-drugs campaign catchphrase; it’s a mantra to recite if you are the kind of person who overextends herself volunteering.
Yesterday Karen Potter blogged about making sure we live a balanced life that includes time to write. Consider my blog an addendum to hers. To live a balanced life, we sometimes have to say “no:” no to the dust bunnies proliferating under our beds; no to being room mother for our child’s homeroom; no to chatting on the phone during writing time; no to baking homemade cupcakes for the soccer team; no to heading a committee that will suck much of our writing time.
Keep It Steady 
Visualize the balance Lady Justice holds. You’ve got to keep your obligations, especially volunteer ones, level—especially if you’re currently living a balanced life. In the past, I said “yes” to just about everyone who asked me to do anything. I wanted to make everyone happy. In doing so, I wasn’t happy. I couldn’t do justice to all the volunteer activities in which I was involved. If I was doing an adequate job with one activity, it was because I’d let another one go until I was super-stressed trying to catch up with what I’d let drop. To regain my sanity, I learned to say no, and that I wasn’t a bad person for saying it. Now, if I say “yes” to a new activity, I drop one of the old ones. I didn’t take on chairing the sewing committee for my daughter’s ballet company until I’d completed my term as an RWA chapter president. I keep the balance level.
Love It or Leave It
Make sure the time you spend volunteering is enjoyable. An added bonus would be if your volunteer job makes the most of your talents. I wouldn’t claim to be the best seamstress because I’m not, but I do know how to use a machine and follow a pattern. I love sewing and learning about costuming. I also enjoy organizing things, so chairing the NEAB Seam Team was a good fit for me. On occasion I write press releases for the ballet, which I also like because it exercises different writing muscles than fiction. If you’re not getting something beneficial out of the time you’re spending volunteering, why are you doing it?
How about you? What have you said “no” to recently to protect your writing time?
Labels: Maureen Hardegree, Writers' Health
Writers' Health
Welcome to September and the Wet Noodle Posse’s topic of Writer Health. What does staying healthy have to do with writing, you ask? A whole lot. Staying mentally and physically healthy is important because, as writers, we are our business.
During September, we’ll be exploring everything from seasonal affective disorder to desk ergonomics, from eating right to cruising and other relaxing nightmares, from stress to saying no to an overloaded calendar. Please join us and join in the conversation.
This month our coordinator is featuring a Readers' Choice raffle of either a $20 gift certificate from the on-line bookstore of their choice or a critique of a first chapter (not to exceed 25 pages in Courier New, 25 lines per page). The more you post, the better your chance of winning!
What is your main health challenge?
Labels: Writers' Health
