The Writer Mama Two-Year Anniversary Blog Tour Giveaway!
Post #21: The Perils of Book Writing (Part One)
Welcome to your new completely unhealthy lifestyle! You are now officially an author and your longevity will decrease with every keystroke. Oh boy, aren’t you excited to gain weight, forego sleep, fry your brain, and lose faith in yourself?
The above may sound like a joke, but I’m quite serious. Unless you take a very proactive approach to maintaining or improving your health while you are drafting your book, your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health can go to pot. But take heart, forewarned is forearmed. And with a little extra effort, you can absolutely survive your book-writing process.
Get Physical
Don’t forget to eat right, exercise, stretch, and get lots of fresh air while you are drafting your book. Once you begin a long-term writing project, you necessarily become more sedentary. How will you respond to this dilemma as you write over the long haul? If you don’t, you will most certainly suffer from poor health, gain weight, lose muscle, and become stiff and sore, especially in the upper back, shoulders and neck.
Writers I know have developed carpal tunnel syndrome (usually in their arms, wrists or hands), gained noticeable weight (myself included), and developed back and neck problems. I already had back and neck challenges, so I see a chiropractor on a regular basis and get monthly massages. I’m fortunate that our family insurance covers much of my chiropractic costs. But our insurance doesn’t cover massages. So I pay for them out of pocket.
Other writers I know use acupuncture, take long walks, workout at the gym, spend time playing with kids, and care for pets (large and small) as strategies to stay fit. What physical exercise will you add to your schedule to make sure you stay in your best writing shape? What extra care will you schedule in advance and make part of your routine?
Steady Now
If I were to list all the fearful thoughts that run through a writer’s head as she works on a first book, I could probably fill a book of my own. So let’s concentrate on the biggest culprit: fear. And the best way to keep fear from interfering in your life is to confront it, squarely and regularly. A big key to facing fear, as I’ve discussed in previous posts on team building, is to have people in your life who you trust and whom you can speak openly and honestly with about how you feel. If you don’t have these people in your life, I can only image that writing a book could become a nightmarish experience.
On the other hand, when you have people you can check-in with regularly and be completely honest with about your feelings, you alleviate the internal pressure that can otherwise build up. So, whom will you lean on while you write your book? Pick a few people so you don’t wear any one person out. And don’t include your agent, your editor, or any of the others on your professional team on your list. Frankly, they don’t get paid enough for you and every other author they work with to lean on them. Practice good, conscientious boundaries, both going out and coming in. If a lot of other people are leaning on you, it’s almost certain to shake up what is better as a slow and steady writing progress. Get your emotional support lined up and check in with them regularly.
[To be continued tomorrow…]
Today's Book Drawing: To enter to win a signed, numbered copy of Writer Mama, answer the following question in this blog's comments:
What kind of physical exercise do you incorporate regularly into your schedule to help you stay fit and feel good? If you don't strive to exercise, has the sedentary life taken a physical toll? (Feel free to groan along with me.)
Thanks for participating! Only US residents, or folks with a US mailing address can participate in the drawing. Please only enter once per day.
Where will the drawing be tomorrow? Visit http://thewritermama.wordpress.com/ to continue reading the rest of the Writer Mama story throughout March 2009!
Writer Mama, How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids by Christina Katz (Writer's Digest Books 2007)
Kids change your life, but they don't necessarily have to end your career. Stay-at-home moms will love this handy guide to rearing a successful writing career while raising their children. The busy mom's guide to writing life, this book gives stay-at-moms the encouragement and advice they need including everything from getting started and finding ideas to actually finding time to do the work - something not easy to do with the pitter-patter of little feet. With advice on how to network and form a a business, this nurturing guide covers everything a writer mama needs to succeed at her second job.
Christina Katz is also the author of the newly released Get Known Before the Book Deal, Use Your Personal Strengths to Grow an Author Platform (Writer's Digest Books 2008).
20 comments:
I walk -- on a treadmill or outside -- from twenty to forty minutes six to seven days a week and go to a fitness center two to three times a week. I also make sure I get up and move around every forty-five minutes, or so, when I'm writing. If I don't want a long break, I will slide as far forward on my chair as possible, sit straight, and bend forward from the waist to stretch my lower back. Stretching is part of my routine, too. No, I'm not an exercise nut. I've had a bad back for a number of years and find this routine helps. Thanks for the post. It's off to the treadmill for me.
I walk on a treadmill 4 days a week. In the past I would find any reason not to but as I've grown older, I have to walk...for sanity reasons.
I'm so glad this is being addressed, because I found myself adding some lbs due sitting and writing. Any weight gain aggravates my back, which has two herniated disks.
I play tennis and have a weekly standing appointment with my Pilates instructor. Additionally, I committed to two friends - one for walking and the other for cycling. It's all helping and it forces me to take breaks and take care of myself.
I try to go out & got for walks, but when they weather's bad as it has been this winter w/rain & wind, then I find myself on the couch with good intentions, but only intentions. I need to focus more on fitness.
I try a variety of things because I tend to get bored. I enjoy taking walks or hikes outside. I also belong to a gym where I either do the treadmill or the bike. Then, of course, there are all the ups and downs of chasing around a two-year old! ;)
I believe that your comments are so true, not only for those working on books, but for writers in general. Especially writer-mamas! It is easy to fall into the sedentary/emotional wreck trap when embarking on a freelance career, raising kids, and having a life. I love the recommendation to spread the emotional discharge among several people & keeping strong boundaries with professional "team members." Thanks for the food for thought!
I heave the pile of rejection letters over my head ten times before every writing session... just kidding. I, too, have succombed to 'writertosis' Recently, I started working out and modifying my intake. When I first starting writing, seven years ago, I was going to the gym 4 times a week and eating very healthy, routine-oriented meals that kept unhealthy fats and extra calories out of the equation... Fast forward, writing has become a race between word count and finishing a can of Pringles. (I think I wrote a whole novel on Sour Cream Pringles and Diet Pepsi).
Last novel I drafted almost entirely 'outside,' but this consisted of Starbucks, which isn't necessarily healthy. Your column is timely as I have been thinking about this issue quite a bit and now I'm on record as doing something about it.
Only time will tell.
I take the baby jogging stroller out and run 5 miles at least three times a week. Great exercise for me and fun for the baby. Of course in the winter it's too cold for this.
Your comments strike home with me. When I'm feverishly working on a project my biggest problem is sleep depravation, I get on an average of 3-4 hours of sleep trying to do it all. Being a stay at home parent and trying to make a living can get very chaotic. I agree. Very important to take care of your health in these situations.
This has been a tough year for exercise as I've been recovering from ankle surgery and then a month ago, I tweaked my knee and am still waiting for it to feel normal. But normally, I'm a runner. And I go to the gym. These days I'm a walker several times a week, and I KNOW exercise not only keeps me fit, it makes me a more productive writer because it energizes my brain like nothing else. When I don't exercise I turn into the worst kind of writing procrastinator. My goal for 09 is to get back into a higher level of aerobic exercise (and then I'm thinking my writing output will increase correspondingly).
Other people are gaining the Recession 15. In college, I gained the Freshman 15. When I started my current day job, I gained the Too Much Commuting 15. In the past year, I've gained the Writer's 15.
I am struggling with the desire to lose these many 15s (some again, some for the first time) while also devoting an appropriate amount of time to my writing. I know that time spent exercising will invigorate me and clear the cobwebs out of my brain, helping me write more and (I hope) better. Convincing my body of that, well, that's the big obstacle.
I thought that my ridiculously large dogs would be an inspiration to get moving even in bad weather, but they are lazy butts, too. Turns out that giant-breed dogs don't need a lot of exercise.
Thank you, Christina, for talking about the unhealthy parts of being a writer--there's nothing like a little commiserating.
My Novel Experience.
I used to be a poet.
It didn't take much time.
To throw ideas together
and shoe horn in a rhyme.
I didn't take it seriously
it's clear from reading this,
I write my 'poems' just for laughs
the rest is hit and(more often) miss.
I had lots of time for exercise
needed 'cos I'm a fatty,
which kept the blubber manageable
without me going too batty.
But since I started 'novelling'
things went downhill fast
I'm like a walrus in a dress
and I don't think that will last.
If I carry on the way I have
I'll soon be in contortions
squeezing into a duvet cover
to hide my blimp proportions.
My former sunny nature
has sunk into despair.
My skin spotty and greasy
co-ordinates with my hair.
I have back pain you won't believe
and swollen legs and feet
the less I do the more I want
to sit and cry and eat.
Then I found your blog post
I know I'm not alone
It's inspired me to start Wii-ing
to regain my muscle tone.
It may be safe in a week or two
to creep to the mirror and look.
But once I've finished the one I'm on
I'm not writing another book.
Oh, gosh! I have put on the writer's 15 too! I blame it more on my move to the suburbs than my writing (since I only write short PBs) I miss walking so much in NYC and have vowed to walk every day once the weather warms up!
I learned the hard way during NaNoWriMo 2007 the toll sitting for long stints takes on a body; especially a body with fibromyalgia. During NaNoWriMo 2008 I learned that getting up every half hour or so, even if I stay in front of the monitor, to stretch and roll my neck and shake out wrists and hands made all the difference in the world. Full body massages are great when I can get them, but for a relatively quick body rejuv and pick me up a refexology foot massage every week was imperative! A walk out the back 40 with my dogs or birds rounds out my routine.
I walk most days, at least as far as the post office. To be honest, this is more of a fresh air for me and my son thing than anything. I also joined a gym have a morning work out routine consisting of: wrestling my son into his highchair, clothes and carseat to get to stupid spinning class on time.
Christina you make an excellent point by talking about physical and mental health. When absorbed in a writing project, I tend to only remember to exercise one of the two, but it is crucial to be physically active as well as mentally active. The two also go hand in hand. Thanks for bringing this to our attention!
What an inspiring group of writers! Everyone is so active and does a variety of things to stay healthy. I love the poem Banana the Poet! Thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts on Christina's post.
in addition to being a writer, i also teach yoga, which i find to be a wonderful balance.
i've also recently discovered nia (which is a really fun fusion of yoga, martial arts and aerobics).
but even with the regular physical exercies i get, i'm still having a lot of discomfort in my wrists and arms lately and i've been finding myself really resisting sitting in front of the computer because it just doesn't feel great.
switching from a desktop to a laptop has helped in some ways, but i think possibly made it worse in others???
Hi there!
I do Leslie Sansone's In Home Walk in front of my television or my laptop. It's a two mile, 30 minute walk, and I lost 35 pounds after baby Bigfoot was born sticking to it 5 days a week. Woo Hoo!
I cycle with my two kids three to four times a week. My DD (2.5) sits on a bike seat on the back, and my DH (4.5) learned early to ride without training wheels. It's not as much cycling as I'd get just on my own, but there are some hills, so ... baby steps!
Still need to get a yoga/stretching regimen going so I don't become like the Hunchback of Notre Dame!
The goal is to edit/revise my novel this year so here's hoping the onset of Aussie winter won't deter me from getting that exercise.
So inspiring to hear from other writers in the comments.
Today's the last day of the blog tour and the hostess gifts are in! Come on over to Robin Mizell's blog and chime in if you have time!
And thanks again for hosting!
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