Me a Yogi--Bring It

I decided that yoga would be a great form of exercise for me. I've been rather stiff lately and it has made doing cardio not so great. I used to be able to go gung ho for 45 minutes on the stair climber; now, well, I plea the fifth.

 

Let's just say I pretty much suck at yoga right now. My balance is a fiasco of highly hilarious proportions. And my legs shake more than leaves on a tree during a serious wind storm. It reminds me of the first time I ever went rock climbing. Yet, I kept on gripping and stepping my way up the fabricated wall of death. If it weren't for me trying to impress my boyfriend at the time, I probably would have given up. Nah, I would have finished just not as speedy.

 

I have found a great website to teach me the strings. It is DoYogaWithMe.com. I hope to find my balance while doing the moves to the point where I can hang out there on one of my legs like a flamingo. Right now I don't stand as gracefully.

 

This makes me think of writing. When I began writing my first book, I had no idea what I was doing, but I kept on writing. Little by little, I learned how to write. I ended up reading some books about writing fiction novels, and that helped immensely. The books are: Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself into Print by Renni Browne and Dave King & 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes: (And How to Avoid Them) by Jack M. Brickham. Also, betas and critique partners steered me in the right direction.

 

Anyway, my writing has excelled a great deal; however, my yoga expertise is in the novice stage, but it will only get better with time as my writing. Just keep writing, that's all you can do.

 

Have you done yoga? If so, how long did it take you to get a handle on it? Do you know of any great yoga websites? What have you done to learn how to write better?

 

Writing Jewels 

Editing—The Necessary Evil

I’m an author who loves the creative process of writing. What I don’t care much for is editing. Unless you are the god of all writing—a prodigy, without editing, a story will belly-flop. I was going to say “suck.” But. I’m not that rude.

Writers go through countless edits—as I’m realizing more and more everyday—so it should be FUN! Right?

Everyone say this one word like you really mean it: “Yes!”

Here are some ways I think can make this daunting task more exciting:

• Change the font, size, or even color of the type. Doing this tricks the mind that you’re reading something different—not the story you’ve slaved over for countless months.

• Listen to music. I’ve recaptured my writing muse just though the strumming of a guitar or the beat of the drums. Or plug into some ambient music; perhaps, ocean water sloshing to an island’s sandy shore.

• Change your writing environment. Maybe go to the local library or cool hangout like Starbucks. Get out of your office for a while. Write at the kitchen table, outside, or in the bathroom if you have to, not that I have. Uh… Really!

• Print your manuscript. It can help you to catch things you wouldn’t on a computer screen. Plus, it’ll get you away from your computer for a while.

• Save your book by chapter. Right now, my book is saved in a continuous document. It dawned on me to save each chapter by itself, and put them in one folder. This will keep your eyes from drifting to the page count. For example, if I’m only on page 67 out of 248, I could get discouraged. Trick your mind to think you’ve made progress with little chunks of your book, not all of it as a whole.

• Reward yourself with something dang awesome when you finish your edit. Maybe go to a movie with friends, get a massage, a trip to Vegas, eat at your favorite restaurant, or spend a day out in the sun reading a book.

• Do some yoga poses or jumping jacks in between chapters to loosen up those tight muscles. It’ll get the blood flowing. Your creative process moving again.

• Read your manuscript out loud in a foreign accent. Ok, that might not work to your advantage, but it sure sounds fun, huh?

I’m going to open this up to you! What are ways you get through the tedium of editing? Be honest. The quirkier the better!

PS: Don't forget to enter my book giveaway. I'm giving away Imaginary Girls and Hereafter. Go here to enter!