Blogs! Writing groups! Beta readers, online and offline! Books and seminars on writing and publishing! All of these have been and continue to be helpful to me as a writer. But I always try to remember that some of the most important things we writers can do to nourish our muses, to maximize our mental acuity and productivity, are not so obvious. Sometimes we even view them as competition for our writing time: physical fitness, happy relationships, and beauty sleep.
I speak for more than just myself when I say that our muses are snotty bitches, friends. They tend to snub us when we get grumpy, sleepy, or dopey on too little sleep.
Forget crossword puzzles and sudoku--The most effective way to keep the brain sharp is to exercise the body. That means setting aside a few hours each week to get some cardio to offset those long stretches of time parked in the old desk chair. It doesn't have to be a lot, but it does have to be consistent. I try to schedule in about three hours a week of …
I speak for more than just myself when I say that our muses are snotty bitches, friends. They tend to snub us when we get grumpy, sleepy, or dopey on too little sleep.
Forget crossword puzzles and sudoku--The most effective way to keep the brain sharp is to exercise the body. That means setting aside a few hours each week to get some cardio to offset those long stretches of time parked in the old desk chair. It doesn't have to be a lot, but it does have to be consistent. I try to schedule in about three hours a week of …