~Writing Well Wednesday Tip~ As we all know, writing isn’t an athletic activity. Those of us who devote hours at the computer are likely to suffer the consequences, and that often includes extra, unwanted pounds. They come from all those hours sitting, not only when you’re writing, but when you’reContinue Reading
~Writing Well Wednesday Tip~ Looking for the perfect writing snack? I’ve got it for you: nuts. These little guys are nutrient powerhouses, and have a number of health benefits for writers: They are good sources of protein, and will help keep you satisfied between meals, increasing your odds of maintainingContinue Reading
Do you have a to-do list? As writers, we spend a lot of time learning what “to do” in terms of plot, characterization, setting, pacing, and more. We also try to learn what to do when it comes to social media, marketing, publishing, and other parts of the business sideContinue Reading
You already know that stress isn’t good for your health. Yet the writing life is often full of stress. You have to fit your writing time into your busy life, which can be stressful in itself. Then there is the additional stress of meeting deadlines, launching a book, marketing it,Continue Reading
~Writing Well Wednesday Tip~ Have you been avoiding eggs because of the cholesterol? You don’t have to anymore. That’s because recent scientific research has found that dietary cholesterol that we get from eggs does not increase risk of heart disease. And that’s great news, because eggs are very nutritious, andContinue Reading
~Writing Well Wednesday Tip~ When I did my little writing office makeover a few months ago, I considered getting a Varidesk. I had seen something similar to it in an office store, and loved the ease of pushing a button and having the desk rise up so easily, and thenContinue Reading
If your computer is hurting your shoulders, it’s going to be hard to write. I’ve written about many computer-related injuries before—including back pain, neck pain, heel pain, eyestrain, and more (you’ll find links to many of these below). A new one that’s been hitting me lately, though, and that hasContinue Reading
The writer’s creative brain works in mysterious ways. Sometimes, it’s thrilling, like when you’re driving along and suddenly a new idea pops into your head for how to iron out that plot point you’ve been struggling with. Or when you wake up with the story outline of your next novelContinue Reading
If you’re making the commitment to NaNoWriMo this November, you can bet that somewhere along the way, you’re going to hit a wall. We’re talking about 30 days of motivating yourself to write perhaps more than you’ve ever written before. The goal is 50,000 words. That’s about 1,666 words aContinue Reading
One of the reasons I love this time of year is that it brings amazing sunsets. Unsettled weather patterns and varied cloud types combine to create some of the most beautiful displays we see all year long. I often walk west and just stare at the horizon. It’s a sortContinue Reading
In most cases, being a writer is not a get-rich-quick sort of endeavor. There are often years of hard work in the trenches, so to speak, before we start to see any cash coming back to us. Even if we are making an income from our work, the cost ofContinue Reading
Did you know that you have a “health personality?” You’ve probably heard that a “Type A” personality—one who drives himself or herself hard, works overtime, and has difficulty relaxing—is more at risk for a heart attack. There are other types of personalities at risk too. The so-called “Type D,” forContinue Reading