Protecting Your Livelihood - Part 3

Currently reading - Greywalker by Kat Richardson

You hear everyone talk about writing the book of you heart, social networking, editting before submitting, etc.  But there's one very important writing asset I rarely hear anyone talk about preserving--you!

This mean excercising.  Believe me, I'd prefer to sit on the couch and watch True Blood on DVD than exercise.  However, my nag, aka Wonder Dog, pressures me for that mile and a half walk every day.

Sitting in a chair and writing is harder on the body than people realize.  Muscles and joints locked in the same positions can lead to conditions from carpal tunnel syndrome to potentially life-threatening deep vein thrombosis (DVT).  So find a form of exercise that's comfortable, enjoyable, and most importantly, SAFE for you.  Something you'll stick with.  I may complain about Wonder Dog's nagging, but a quiet walk often unsticks my plot points.

Also, make sure you eat right.  I've belabored this point in a previous post, but it's still an important one.  Even my diabetic nutritionist would say you can have an occasional treat, but if you're not on some medically restricted diet, make sure you eat reasonable portions of all the food groups during the day.

One suggestion I find irresponsible is telling new writers to skimp on sleep.  Now some people can get plenty of rest with only six hours of sleep, but most of us are not superpeople.  If you're an eight-hour person, get those eight hours and find some other way to squeeze in some writing time.  There's too many studies showing how lack of sleep leads to more accidents and heart problems.

The lesson here--take care of your primary writing tool, YOU!!