by Heather Moore
The difference between my appearance when I was an unpublished author vs. a published author is my rear-end. I know, it sounds silly, but it's true. Yes, it's been a slow upward and outward spiral, packing on a little here and a little there. It all started in 2006. Even though I'd been writing about a book a year since 2001, in 2006 I wrote 2 books. If you are one of the many writers out there who are juggling everything from career to family to multiple hobbies, you know that when you take the time to write something else has to go. For me, it's the hiney.
Am I eating more? Not necessarily. Am I lazy? No way. But the profession/hobby/dream I've chosen requires a lot of sitting time. I've tried to type while standing, jogging, or stretching. Nothing works. (okay, I haven't really tried any of those, but I'm a logical person and I can just picture what would happen if I did.)
In my crammed-pack life, I've let MYSELF go. I've stopped exercising. There are lots of excuses that I can come up with, the lamest being that I just don't have time to walk in the next room and get on the elliptical for 30 minutes.
No more. Since I refuse to diet or alter my chocolate-addition in any way, I've had to get serious about what to do . . . and how to do it . . . So the past three weeks I've made more of an effort to exercise than ever. And the effort has been a sacrifice. But I decided that this sacrifice will be worth it. It will clear my writer's mind, hopefully let more inspiration dawn, and increase my endorphine levels. Each morning, I drag my 4-year-old and myself out the door to the gym. There is a nifty 9:30 a.m. kid's fitness class there and I walk/run/stumble on the track for a whole hour. The entire process? About 2 hours.
My goal? To be a better ME so that I can be a better writer. With an exercise schedule in place, my writing time has just become all that more precious. And if it took an official writer's butt to finally motivate me, so be it.
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8 comments:
I call it a 'book butt' I can just imagine my hind end looking like an open book, flat in the middle where most of the weight sits but wide like an open book. The sacrifice we make to have someone read what has been cooked up in our mind. I have done the treadmill thing for years, however this year I am now doing the weight lifting. They say you lose a pound of muscle every year after you turn the dreaded thirty five. Now-a-days I'm just trying to slow the gravity pull.(saggy everything) So best wishes to ya. So if you still have a 'writer's butt' at the lsd conference in April then you will not be alone. Just know that mine is the one that looks like an open book.LOL!
Aha--that's what caused it! You and me (and Danette) can start a club :-) I'm working hard at combating the 30's that have hit me in the head. Best of luck with your own battle, Heather.
I hear ya. Over the last year I've developed writer's butt, thighs, and belly. To the treadmill I go . . .
I have a writer's butt too! The things huge! And none of my favorite jeans love me any more. I started doing dance dance with my kids. That way I am playing with them and working out at the same time. I'm all about multi tasking! Have fun at the gym!
My writer's butt is more like:
Wife: Honey, will you take out the garbage?
Me: But, I'm writing.
Wife: Honey, will you wash the dishes?
Me: But, I'm writing.
Wife: Honey, will you (fill in the blank)?
Me: But, I'm writing.
It's almost as big as my watching baseball butt!
Of course, lest you think I'm completely worthless, I always complete said task. If any of you know my wife, you realize that it's my writing that always takes a back seat. :)
Danette--maybe we could have some sort of contest at the conference. LOL.
Curtis, I'm glad you obey your wife. It takes a real man to do that :)
At least yours is an author's butt. Mines just a wanna-be's. Difference--people get to enjoy what you've written on a much larger scale, making it a little more worth it. Maybe one day I will have the bragging rights to this book spread. LOL!
So that's where mine came from...this darn chair that's been sucking me in lately!
I have a new rule for myself. The instant I get stuck, wondering what to write next, I go downstairs and do something. Anything. Then climb up the stairs again. I get stuck a very great deal, which means climbing a lot of stairs.
I'm down three pounds so far. Let's hope I don't get too inspired or I'll pack them right back on again.
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