Is there a paragraph in your book driving you absolutely crazy? Is there something about your plot that just insn't quite working?
This stuff used to drive me crazy and I would fidget in my seat, get up and pace around, sit down again and moan and stomp my feet but still I would be stuck. The paragraph would still suck and the plot would still be completely lame. So what was I to do?
Eventually, I learned the easy way out. Exercise. Walking, running or swimming outside works every time for me. When I'm more relaxed, the ideas just flow which is so much easier than trying to force them out. Just today, my whole plot for my new novel came together while I was riding my bike. Often, I come up with article ideas or decide who to interview for an article in the middle of a workout. Another thing that works well is if I head out to exercise with one problem zone in mind - it might be a paragraph, a plot problem, a section of dialogue. And I try to see if I can solve it during my workout. 99 percent of the time, this works well. But I will confess to a few times when through my endorphin high, I thought what I was writing was a masterpiece, kind of the same way I occasionally do after when I jot something down after a glass or two of wine, only to later read it and think EEEWW. But hey nothing's perfect. But for me, the ideas come when I'm moving and elated and then later I do my fine tuning when my feet (and mind) are back on the ground.
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8 comments:
I often find myself in a much better frame of mind when I exercise. Days without excercise are days lost in space.
My sentiments exactly. Exercise not only helps my writing, but enhances every other area of my life as well.
You don't need to exercise when you write! There are a lot of other alternatives.Eating brain foods, such as ice cream, potato chips, chocolate, and any other lard-enriched delicacies. Or you can watch TV. My recommendations are any movies rich in sex-related jokes.
Hmmm. Husky, these sound more like heart-attack inducing foods than brain foods. But don't take my word for it - I'm a stranger, right? (or are you one of my daughter's friends?) But you can try your mom or your middle school health teacher.
Anything that clears my head helps me, and that includes exercise. Sometimes just taking a break, and doing a mindless activity like scrubbing the kitchen counter, is enough. I hate housework, though, so exercise is a much better solution.
I also like taking my writing on the road, to the library, or a busy java joint.
Jennifer J.
I hope you're feeling better... As far as housework goes, I can't say that any kind of domestic activity releases my creative genius, but if it did, my husband would probably jump up and down ecstatically!
It seems to me that exercise is just a logical balance to mental work, and aids the efficiency of the latter. I always do everything I need to do better if my days are balanced between physical and mental activity.
If I do not exercise at least three times a week, I can feel what happens to my mind, even more than my body. It's amazing how focused and centered you become by exerting some energy on something other than worries. There is nothing worse than thinking too much about everything and getting absolutley nothing done at the same time!
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