My parents took us to the dentist for regular check-ups when we were kids and I still go, albeit reluctantly when the reminder card arrives in the mail. My dentist has taken to sending peaceful postcards of mountain streams and rainforest groves in an attempt to lull patients into the acceptance of a visit as a pleasant pastime.
It wouldn’t convince my sister-in-law. She dreads her check-ups. The dentist rang her husband once after she left, to see she drove home okay. She’d been white knuckled in the chair and a shaky mess after the treatment.
I like my dentist. He has my favourite classical music station on the radio and hums along while he pokes about. Last year he asked what I’d been up to so I told him about my books. His reaction to the news I wrote romance was that of great interest and he asked what I was working on at the time. I told him I’d based the story on an idea I had while attending my niece’s recent wedding but I’d become stuck on a plot point. I needed my hero to be forced to stay on in town for a few weeks after being best man at a wedding instead of leaving to go home. I’d thought of having him break his leg or becoming ill but those solutions meant he was either limited in movement or incapable of being romantic enough to win the girl.
He nodded and hummed and said, “Open wide.” Half an hour later, me with a replaced filling and a numb jaw he said, “Give him a root canal.”
Apart from being amazed he’d actually pondered the problem while doing my filling, I thought about it on the way home. It was a really good idea, meeting all my requirements, and after researching and asking various people who’d had it done I used it. Fortunately I have a writing friend who is a dental assistant to provide technical details.
That story is with the Avalon editors at the moment waiting for a verdict. It’s called The Wedding Party. I had huge amounts of fun writing it. Nothing like someone else’s trials at the dentist to give you a good laugh, albeit squirmy. Especially when you’ve had your own turn. My poor hero, Brady—but he gets the girl in the end so his suffering is worth it. And it serves him right. He didn’t go to the dentist regularly!
I just hope my editor likes it!
Monday, February 8, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
Meet Avalon Author Beate Boeker
Q: Tell us the first thing that pops into your head when I say: Tell us about yourself. Give us a brief biography in your own words.
My name is Beate. It's a hard name to pronounce for anybody who's not German . . . my parents didn't think of me going international! You will get closest if you pronounce it in three steps - Be - A - Te. It has Latin origins and means "Happy". My last name, Boeker, is pronounced like Baker with an O and means books in a German dialect. So my name literally translates as Happy Books - and with a name like that, I simply had to become a romance writer!
Q: Tell us about the first thing you ever wrote.
As with many writers, reading was my first love. The second was horses. So I wrote a soppy story about seven friends and their seven horses when I was thirteen or fourteen. When I was done, I thought it was too embarrassing for words and managed to lose it somewhere . . . until, more than twenty years later, my sister typed it and made it into a book that now has a special place on my shelf!
Q: When did you know you wanted to be a writer? What was the biggest influence on this decision?
I didn't take a conscious decision to become a writer. Writing is a need for me . . . it's something I have to do to replenish my soul. It's not an option, and without the possibility to express myself on paper or via the keyboard, I become impatient with myself and with everybody around. When I start to snap at my husband, he takes me by the shoulders, steers me to the computer and says, "Write your book. It'll make you feel better."
After that first book about horses, I was kept busy with school and university . . . I studied business with languages because I love foreign languages. After four years with many stints abroad and constant challenges, I started my first job in Hamburg, a large town in the north of Germany. The first two years, it was fun. Then I realized that things kept repeating themselves, and I began to be bored. Oh, I had plenty to do, but the content never changed much. It wasn't easy to find another day job, though, and I realized that if I didn't want to be a constant job-hopper, I needed some other stimulus to keep me excited about life. That's when I took up writing again. I wrote a mystery placed in Indonesia, where I lived for six months.
Q: Was getting published in North America and in English difficult for you?
Funny enough, it was easier than getting published in German! Let me explain why: When I had finished that mystery in German, I realized I still had to learn a lot, and I was willing to learn, but in Germany, it's hard to find people who teach you how to write a good novel. Oh, there are plenty of literature analyzing courses, but I didn't want to write poetry, I didn't plan to become a second Goethe or Schiller, I didn't want to be a journalist, and I didn't want to study the development of language since the first Neanderthal scribbled a word. I wanted to write a good, strong novel, one that entertained and transported you into another world, and I did not want to give up my day job for learning this new craft . . . but I found nothing that fitted.
Then I discovered that there's a different writing culture in the US with plenty of books about writing. At first, I tried to find the same books translated into German, but they didn't exist. At that point, I threw up my hands and said that in that case, I had to write in English. After all, I had been reading my novels in English for years, and often when I wrote, English expressions popped up in my head before I found the German equivalent.
Writing in English isn't always easy because I tend to sound like a Brit at times, and slang often eludes me, but thanks to the wealth of information at my hands, thanks to the great editing service of Elizabeth Lyon, and thanks to her giving me the address of Avalon Books, I sold the very first novel I had written in English, Wings to Fly. It was an overwhelming experience.
Q: Tell us about the genre in which you write and why?
I've always been a mystery lover, and the first book I wrote after the unspeakable teenage-horse-story was that mystery placed in Indonesia. Later, when I decided to write in English, I realized that too many challenges at once might not be a good idea. As I was rather unfamiliar with the business of corpses and police procedure (thank God!), I decided to stick to romance in the beginning, a topic I am more familiar with. Now, more and more mystery sneaks into my romances, and I'm currently working on a mystery series.
Q: Tell us about your latest book. Is it with Avalon or another publisher? What is your most recent or next Avalon Book?
My last book published is Take My Place by Avalon Books. It came out in April 2009, and it's about a single mother who has just set up her own business. Juggling both responsibilities, she is in no mood for romance, but then she falls in love during a business dinner, with a man who never charmed her in the least before. A few hours later, she finds out why -- he's the identical twin of her business acquaintance and offered to take his brother's place. Furious, she decides to take her revenge, but things don't work out the way she planned . . .
My mother is an identical twin, and it's amazing to see how alike the sisters still are. If they put their minds to it, they could still fool us for hours on end, that's why I knew I could use it for my novel.
Q: What do you like to do besides write?
Reading, sleeping, eating, ice skating, dancing in my living room . . . I'm the original couch potato, happiest at home with my family. I like to travel too, but only enjoy it if I meet "natives" - i.e. if I'm not a tourist who only sees the surface of things.
I don't like to go long distances by car, I don't like to watch TV, I don't like traditional German food (sausages and sauerkraut etc.), I don't like coffee and hate beer. I would love to live in a sunny village by the Mediterranean or any other sea, but my husband is a fan of cold weather, so the north of Germany is a compromise of sorts.
Q: What would you like us to know about you or your writing above anything else?
I love books that make me chuckle, books that make me happy about the good things in life. Life is hard enough . . . pollution, war, pain, catastrophes, stress, difficult relationships - the list is long. When I read, I want a break from all that. I want a happy ending, and I want the good things to conquer the world. So if you're looking for dark, edgy fiction that shows you the depth of human despair, choose another book. But if you want to feel a happy tingle inside, want to laugh at your human weaknesses without feeling wretched, want to relax and be enticed into another world, then you will enjoy my novels.
Q: Where else can readers find you, besides clicking on your Avalon Author link on this page?
On my website www.happybooks.de
You can also find a free sample story, pictures, and a lot more information.
My name is Beate. It's a hard name to pronounce for anybody who's not German . . . my parents didn't think of me going international! You will get closest if you pronounce it in three steps - Be - A - Te. It has Latin origins and means "Happy". My last name, Boeker, is pronounced like Baker with an O and means books in a German dialect. So my name literally translates as Happy Books - and with a name like that, I simply had to become a romance writer!
Q: Tell us about the first thing you ever wrote.
As with many writers, reading was my first love. The second was horses. So I wrote a soppy story about seven friends and their seven horses when I was thirteen or fourteen. When I was done, I thought it was too embarrassing for words and managed to lose it somewhere . . . until, more than twenty years later, my sister typed it and made it into a book that now has a special place on my shelf!
Q: When did you know you wanted to be a writer? What was the biggest influence on this decision?
I didn't take a conscious decision to become a writer. Writing is a need for me . . . it's something I have to do to replenish my soul. It's not an option, and without the possibility to express myself on paper or via the keyboard, I become impatient with myself and with everybody around. When I start to snap at my husband, he takes me by the shoulders, steers me to the computer and says, "Write your book. It'll make you feel better."
After that first book about horses, I was kept busy with school and university . . . I studied business with languages because I love foreign languages. After four years with many stints abroad and constant challenges, I started my first job in Hamburg, a large town in the north of Germany. The first two years, it was fun. Then I realized that things kept repeating themselves, and I began to be bored. Oh, I had plenty to do, but the content never changed much. It wasn't easy to find another day job, though, and I realized that if I didn't want to be a constant job-hopper, I needed some other stimulus to keep me excited about life. That's when I took up writing again. I wrote a mystery placed in Indonesia, where I lived for six months.
Q: Was getting published in North America and in English difficult for you?
Funny enough, it was easier than getting published in German! Let me explain why: When I had finished that mystery in German, I realized I still had to learn a lot, and I was willing to learn, but in Germany, it's hard to find people who teach you how to write a good novel. Oh, there are plenty of literature analyzing courses, but I didn't want to write poetry, I didn't plan to become a second Goethe or Schiller, I didn't want to be a journalist, and I didn't want to study the development of language since the first Neanderthal scribbled a word. I wanted to write a good, strong novel, one that entertained and transported you into another world, and I did not want to give up my day job for learning this new craft . . . but I found nothing that fitted.
Then I discovered that there's a different writing culture in the US with plenty of books about writing. At first, I tried to find the same books translated into German, but they didn't exist. At that point, I threw up my hands and said that in that case, I had to write in English. After all, I had been reading my novels in English for years, and often when I wrote, English expressions popped up in my head before I found the German equivalent.
Writing in English isn't always easy because I tend to sound like a Brit at times, and slang often eludes me, but thanks to the wealth of information at my hands, thanks to the great editing service of Elizabeth Lyon, and thanks to her giving me the address of Avalon Books, I sold the very first novel I had written in English, Wings to Fly. It was an overwhelming experience.
Q: Tell us about the genre in which you write and why?
I've always been a mystery lover, and the first book I wrote after the unspeakable teenage-horse-story was that mystery placed in Indonesia. Later, when I decided to write in English, I realized that too many challenges at once might not be a good idea. As I was rather unfamiliar with the business of corpses and police procedure (thank God!), I decided to stick to romance in the beginning, a topic I am more familiar with. Now, more and more mystery sneaks into my romances, and I'm currently working on a mystery series.
Q: Tell us about your latest book. Is it with Avalon or another publisher? What is your most recent or next Avalon Book?
My last book published is Take My Place by Avalon Books. It came out in April 2009, and it's about a single mother who has just set up her own business. Juggling both responsibilities, she is in no mood for romance, but then she falls in love during a business dinner, with a man who never charmed her in the least before. A few hours later, she finds out why -- he's the identical twin of her business acquaintance and offered to take his brother's place. Furious, she decides to take her revenge, but things don't work out the way she planned . . .
My mother is an identical twin, and it's amazing to see how alike the sisters still are. If they put their minds to it, they could still fool us for hours on end, that's why I knew I could use it for my novel.
Q: What do you like to do besides write?
Reading, sleeping, eating, ice skating, dancing in my living room . . . I'm the original couch potato, happiest at home with my family. I like to travel too, but only enjoy it if I meet "natives" - i.e. if I'm not a tourist who only sees the surface of things.
I don't like to go long distances by car, I don't like to watch TV, I don't like traditional German food (sausages and sauerkraut etc.), I don't like coffee and hate beer. I would love to live in a sunny village by the Mediterranean or any other sea, but my husband is a fan of cold weather, so the north of Germany is a compromise of sorts.
Q: What would you like us to know about you or your writing above anything else?
I love books that make me chuckle, books that make me happy about the good things in life. Life is hard enough . . . pollution, war, pain, catastrophes, stress, difficult relationships - the list is long. When I read, I want a break from all that. I want a happy ending, and I want the good things to conquer the world. So if you're looking for dark, edgy fiction that shows you the depth of human despair, choose another book. But if you want to feel a happy tingle inside, want to laugh at your human weaknesses without feeling wretched, want to relax and be enticed into another world, then you will enjoy my novels.
Q: Where else can readers find you, besides clicking on your Avalon Author link on this page?
On my website www.happybooks.de
You can also find a free sample story, pictures, and a lot more information.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Latest Cover--Elisabeth Rose
The wonderful Avalon cover artists have done it again! The Tangled Web comes out in June 2010. I love it. My most romantic cover yet.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
WRITE AWAY by Elizabeth George
Have you read any how-to-books lately? Looking back at the list of books I'd read in 2009, I found several. Ever ask yourself why these books appeal to us? I decided to look for an answer.
WRITE AWAY by Elizabeth George.
WHY DID I READ THIS BOOK?
I love the Inspector Lynley mystery series on Masterpiece Theater. I found Elizabeth George had also written a book on writing. I was curious.
LEARNED?
After a writer has her idea and characters, she needs to ‘spend’ time on location to work out the logistics of the story. For Elizabeth George this means a trip to the UK to work on her novel. Forget technology! I’m going to pack!
WAS IT HELPFUL? On a scale of [1-5] with [1] being Routine information...up to [5] being an Ah ha Moment
I'll give WRITE AWAY a [3]
COLOR CODE: [highlighting with a different color each time I’ve read the book…]
[1] New book [5] still Trying to master
WRITE AWAY gets a [1]
TAKE AWAY: Entertaining, good for mystery writers
Have you read this book? How would you respond?
WRITE AWAY by Elizabeth George.
WHY DID I READ THIS BOOK?
I love the Inspector Lynley mystery series on Masterpiece Theater. I found Elizabeth George had also written a book on writing. I was curious.
LEARNED?
After a writer has her idea and characters, she needs to ‘spend’ time on location to work out the logistics of the story. For Elizabeth George this means a trip to the UK to work on her novel. Forget technology! I’m going to pack!
WAS IT HELPFUL? On a scale of [1-5] with [1] being Routine information...up to [5] being an Ah ha Moment
I'll give WRITE AWAY a [3]
COLOR CODE: [highlighting with a different color each time I’ve read the book…]
[1] New book [5] still Trying to master
WRITE AWAY gets a [1]
TAKE AWAY: Entertaining, good for mystery writers
Have you read this book? How would you respond?
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Meet Rebecca Boschee
I'm back again - interviewing another terrific Avalon writer, Rebecca Boschee. Publisher's Weekly called Rebecca's first novel, MULLIGAN GIRL, "a snappy, hole-in-one romantic comedy".
QUESTION: What prompted you to become a writer?
Honestly, I think I was born a writer and just finally decided to come out
of the closet. I've been writing stories for fun since the third grade. Like
reading, writing makes me feel good. It's hard work but very rewarding to
have a story come together - especially when you can make someone laugh or
fall in love between your pages.
Q: What part of writing do you find most satisfying?
Getting to define myself on my own terms. No matter what ups and downs the
economy brings, writing is cheap (cheaper than therapy, some of my
colleagues might say) and fulfilling. I only lose my dream if I'm the one
who decides to let it go.
Q: What part do you find most difficult?
Forging past the 30,000 word 'high'. It's easy for me to think of story
ideas I love, and those first 30,000 words just rush from my fingertips. I'm
the master of the half-started novel. But when it comes to plowing through
the rest to get a solid first draft to work with, that's tough. It requires
conscious focus and self-discipline (glue-my-rear-in-the-chair-and-don't-leave-until-I-type-at-least-1,000-words-stuff) for me to finish. Once I make it, I do a happy dance though, because to me the revision stage is a lot more fun.
Q: Tell us about your upcoming Avalon release.
MULLIGAN GIRL is a romantic comedy about a young woman who has a job as a
Customer Experience assessor--which basically means she gets to spend
company cash to buy fancy stuff then evaluate the beginning to end service
experience. As part of her job she has to pretend she's married. That's all
fine and dandy until she stages a customer dispute over the phone with the
golf pro manager of a local upscale resort, then later discovers he's a
super sexy hunk. She falls for him, but he thinks she's married. With the
help of her BFF, she comes up with a ruse to get know him better without
revealing her secret. There are (I hope) some pretty humorous results. The
'official' write up and an excerpt from the novel can be found on my website
for anyone who might want to check it out. The book releases on February 24,
2010.
Q: Do you have other projects in the works?
Just those dozen or so half-started novels I mention above! I do have other
completed works though: one other romance, a young adult paranormal, and an
urban fantasy that is undergoing edits. Everything I write has romance at
the center. I'm crazy about that feeling of falling in love.
Q: What other authors do you especially admire?
This is a very tricky question because I admire them all. I admire anyone
who works toward a dream guaranteed to produce at least some painful
rejection, yet not guaranteed to produce any reward.
Q: What do you do when you're not writing?
When I'm not writing or at my day job, I read like a fiend. Aside from that,
I try to spend time with my family doing things like bike riding, watching
movies, playing games. My 2010 resolution is to find better work-life
balance overall.
Q: Do you have a set schedule for writing or do you squeeze it in whenever
you can?
Both. I try to write before and after dinner every day, then at least five
or six hours on the weekends. I make sure I write at least 20 hours a week -
like I would a part time job. Most weeks it's a lot more than that though,
because I do try to squeeze it in when I can.
Q: What refreshes you creatively?
First and foremost: Reading. It's like a trip to the spa and I only have to
make it to the couch (and it's a lot cheaper!). Chocolate helps too. And
Coke zero. Cheetos sometimes.
Thanks, Rebecca, for sharing your thoughts with us and good luck with MULLIGAN GIRL.
Monday, January 25, 2010
But it's so hard!
Some people write a book, front to back, making no changes because it is all terrific, and go on to sell it easily. (I have already altered some words in that sentence, so clearly I am not that person.) Some people work on each sentence, crafting it until it is perfection, before moving on to the next. (I made that first sentence change after I started the second, so evidently, I am not that kind of writer, either.)
Some people write upwards of 2500 words a day, every day, without fail, finishing their books in a reasonable time, sometime in the same decade as the one in which they started their books. (I certainly don’t write that much in one day on a regular basis—my brain usually empties out after five pages, tops.) Some write one page a day, which still gets a book done in a year. (It sounds like a great plan, and probably is, for one more disciplined than I. I could never stop while I was on a roll.)
Every writer has his or her own method. Some people write longhand (if I did I wouldn’t be able to read it five seconds later unless I had a really great pen that came with its own good handwriting). Most probably write on a computer nowadays, which is what works for me, since my computer is far more literate than I. It is also a big help, what with its “Find” and “Replace” features. (Sometimes, when I haven’t hit the right tone or have gone down the wrong road with my book, I think it would be better if it was “Search” and “Destroy.” That could be used for when I figure out which, if not both, of the two endings I wrote for my current work in progress should be obliterated.)
While starting from the blank page is probably the hardest part of the novel, or at least that’s what I have always thought, revising it can be a bear. Correcting grammar and spelling aside, when there are major problems to be resolved, or holes to be filled (why do they occur in the first place if not to take the space of something too hard to write at that moment?) the process can be beyond tedious. It can be to the point of brain numbing, a condition which works its synapse deadening way from my head down to my fingertips, that part of my body that does the actual writing.
It’s so hard. It’s so much easier to write it all, the whole story, front to back, mistakes, literary warts, and blunders, then change them, instead of taking the time to do it right the first time as it is being written. At least that’s what I say when I’m committing this huge rush-through-it first draft mistake that will take me as long to correct as it took to write. Afterward, I realize I’m in trouble. In my logical mind I know making the changes is doable; after all, I do have the find function, so I can get to any offensive part of the book within microseconds just by hitting that “button.” How, you might wonder? I mark them as I write them. Even so, in my illogical mind, it feels as if I am holding each of the pages in my hands simultaneously, juggling them. Sometimes it feels as if I am holding the individual words. How can a person deal with that?
I’ll be trying to find out. Wish me good luck.
Some people write upwards of 2500 words a day, every day, without fail, finishing their books in a reasonable time, sometime in the same decade as the one in which they started their books. (I certainly don’t write that much in one day on a regular basis—my brain usually empties out after five pages, tops.) Some write one page a day, which still gets a book done in a year. (It sounds like a great plan, and probably is, for one more disciplined than I. I could never stop while I was on a roll.)
Every writer has his or her own method. Some people write longhand (if I did I wouldn’t be able to read it five seconds later unless I had a really great pen that came with its own good handwriting). Most probably write on a computer nowadays, which is what works for me, since my computer is far more literate than I. It is also a big help, what with its “Find” and “Replace” features. (Sometimes, when I haven’t hit the right tone or have gone down the wrong road with my book, I think it would be better if it was “Search” and “Destroy.” That could be used for when I figure out which, if not both, of the two endings I wrote for my current work in progress should be obliterated.)
While starting from the blank page is probably the hardest part of the novel, or at least that’s what I have always thought, revising it can be a bear. Correcting grammar and spelling aside, when there are major problems to be resolved, or holes to be filled (why do they occur in the first place if not to take the space of something too hard to write at that moment?) the process can be beyond tedious. It can be to the point of brain numbing, a condition which works its synapse deadening way from my head down to my fingertips, that part of my body that does the actual writing.
It’s so hard. It’s so much easier to write it all, the whole story, front to back, mistakes, literary warts, and blunders, then change them, instead of taking the time to do it right the first time as it is being written. At least that’s what I say when I’m committing this huge rush-through-it first draft mistake that will take me as long to correct as it took to write. Afterward, I realize I’m in trouble. In my logical mind I know making the changes is doable; after all, I do have the find function, so I can get to any offensive part of the book within microseconds just by hitting that “button.” How, you might wonder? I mark them as I write them. Even so, in my illogical mind, it feels as if I am holding each of the pages in my hands simultaneously, juggling them. Sometimes it feels as if I am holding the individual words. How can a person deal with that?
I’ll be trying to find out. Wish me good luck.
Exercises to Keep You Fresh at Your Desk
As writers, we spend long hours pounding away at the keyboard. While this may be great for our writing career, it's tough on our body. For those who haven't worked into the wee hours of the night slaving to meet a deadline, writing may not seem like a physically demanding ocupation. Ironically, the biggest threat to a writer's health may be in lack of movement, making them especially prone to repetitive strain injuries, like carpal tunnel syndrome, or a weakened lower spine.
Regular stretching, however, can head off hazardous conditions at the writer's desk. Aside from the physical benefits like improved circulation and reduction in muscle tension, stretching can enhance mental alertness, minimize stress and even help cut fatigue.
Bob Anderson, author of Stretching at Your Computer or Desk, recommends taking a one-minute break every 10-15 minutes or a five-minute break every half hour to get your body moving.
While it may seem like an interruption at first, regular stretching will, with practice, become as much a part of your writing routine as that morning cup of coffee (or hot tea).
I've posted these few simple stretches on the wall over my computer to keep me on the path to a more limber, more alert and (hopefully) a more productive writing year.
Note: no special clothing is required for these stretches, so if you write in your jammies, it's perfectly okay.
*Standing stretch--with hands on your hips, gently turn your torso at the waist and love over your shoulder. When you feel the stretch, hold for 10 seconds. Repeat on the other side.
*For wrists--place hands palm to palm in front of you. Keeping elbows even, push one hand gently to the side until you feel a mild stretch. Hold for five seconds. Repeat on the other hand.
*Neck--sit or stand with arms hanging loosely at your sides. then titlt your head first to one side and hold for five seconds, keeping your shoulders relaxed downward. Repeat on the other side and hold for five seconds.
*Back--sitting in your typing chair, slowly lean forward over your lap, keeping your head down and your neck relaxed. Rest your fingers or palms on top of your toes. Hold for 20 seconds. Use your hands to help push yourself back to a sitting position.
*Arms--remain sitting in your typing chair. Interlace fingers and straighten arms out above your head with palms facing upward. Breathe deeply and think of elongating your arms as you feel a stretch strough your arms and the upper sides of your rib cage. Hold for 10 seconds.
*Shoulders--standing next to your typing chair or your desk, reach your hands behind your back. With right hand, gently pull your left arm down and across behind your back. Then lean your head sideways toward the right shoulder. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat stretch on opposite.
Writers are nuturers. We create our characters, we watch them grow, we anguish over their needs, we see them through their black moments, and we sigh with relief when we've helped them reach that happily-ever-after ending. Then what do we do? We nurture our families, take care of them just as we do the characters we create. And all the while, writers neglect themselves.
Hopefully these simple stretches will help you get on the path to a more limber, more alert and more productive writing year. Now, go forth and S-t-r-e-t-c-h!
www.lorettacrogersbooks.com
Regular stretching, however, can head off hazardous conditions at the writer's desk. Aside from the physical benefits like improved circulation and reduction in muscle tension, stretching can enhance mental alertness, minimize stress and even help cut fatigue.
Bob Anderson, author of Stretching at Your Computer or Desk, recommends taking a one-minute break every 10-15 minutes or a five-minute break every half hour to get your body moving.
While it may seem like an interruption at first, regular stretching will, with practice, become as much a part of your writing routine as that morning cup of coffee (or hot tea).
I've posted these few simple stretches on the wall over my computer to keep me on the path to a more limber, more alert and (hopefully) a more productive writing year.
Note: no special clothing is required for these stretches, so if you write in your jammies, it's perfectly okay.
*Standing stretch--with hands on your hips, gently turn your torso at the waist and love over your shoulder. When you feel the stretch, hold for 10 seconds. Repeat on the other side.
*For wrists--place hands palm to palm in front of you. Keeping elbows even, push one hand gently to the side until you feel a mild stretch. Hold for five seconds. Repeat on the other hand.
*Neck--sit or stand with arms hanging loosely at your sides. then titlt your head first to one side and hold for five seconds, keeping your shoulders relaxed downward. Repeat on the other side and hold for five seconds.
*Back--sitting in your typing chair, slowly lean forward over your lap, keeping your head down and your neck relaxed. Rest your fingers or palms on top of your toes. Hold for 20 seconds. Use your hands to help push yourself back to a sitting position.
*Arms--remain sitting in your typing chair. Interlace fingers and straighten arms out above your head with palms facing upward. Breathe deeply and think of elongating your arms as you feel a stretch strough your arms and the upper sides of your rib cage. Hold for 10 seconds.
*Shoulders--standing next to your typing chair or your desk, reach your hands behind your back. With right hand, gently pull your left arm down and across behind your back. Then lean your head sideways toward the right shoulder. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat stretch on opposite.
Writers are nuturers. We create our characters, we watch them grow, we anguish over their needs, we see them through their black moments, and we sigh with relief when we've helped them reach that happily-ever-after ending. Then what do we do? We nurture our families, take care of them just as we do the characters we create. And all the while, writers neglect themselves.
Hopefully these simple stretches will help you get on the path to a more limber, more alert and more productive writing year. Now, go forth and S-t-r-e-t-c-h!
www.lorettacrogersbooks.com
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