The Treadmill Writer

Sidenote: I know I've been on extended leave lately, but I've been rather crazy with the convention I'm planning for work. So bear with me as I'm slow to post and attempting to reply to others using my iPhone. In about 2 weeks, all of this will be over and I'll be back to normal. Or, at least, as normal as I can be. I miss you all.

Treadmill writing. Sounds like some sort of catch phrase for a unique way of getting words onto paper, doesn't it? Like the way Plotters (I've been converted, but that’s a post for another time) may use the Snowflake Method or Cork Story Board.

It’s not. It’s not about how you write, but where you write.

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Over the past two years as I’ve grown more serious about my writing, like everyone else, I struggle to find enough time to sit down to work on my revisions, create a new WIP, and devote a goodly amount of time to my blog (recent vacay notwithstanding). 

All of this has done wonders for my skills as a writer, but it doesn’t come without it’s drawbacks. Along with expanding my writing horizons, I’ve also expanded my midsection.

Let’s face it, it can be hard enough to find the time to fit a workout into a busy schedule as it is. Therefore it is nigh impossible for us writers to find the time to fit in both an hour of working-out AND an hour for writing in the same day.

In the latest issue of Romance Writers Report (thank you, RWA) there's an article discussing the growing trend in treadmill desks. Seems some writers have decided they want to have their cake and eat it too . . . wait, you know what I mean. More and more of us are deciding we don’t want to have to choose between being healthy and being a writer (caffeine addictions not included). 

That's where the treadmill desk comes into the picture. 

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Assuming you already have a treadmill, there are multiple ways to turn your workout space into your writing space as well. Adjustable desks/tables can be purchased for those that have the cash to go that route, or--with a little effort--you can rig your own station. 

If you're interested, Google "Treadmill Desk” to get some ideas on how to make yours work for you.

Why bother?

Well, in the twenty minutes it’s taken me to write this blog post, walking at a 1.0 MPH (which is nothing more than a nice strolling pace) I’ve burned 45 calories. May not seem like much, but that’s 45 calories I wouldn't have burned sitting on my rear end at my desk. Imagine what I can do when I use it for my marathon writing bursts, brain storming sessions, or even my personal reading time.

I've only just created mine, but I'm loving it already. Not only am I not having to decide between whether I want to write or be able to wear shorts this summer, but I seem to think more creatively when I'm on my feet and moving around.

Curious to hear if anyone else is using something similar …or how do you attempt to keep yourself active and still get your writing time in?

Life of Leisure? Ha!

I have to admit, when I was younger (those wonderfully naive late-teens, early-twenties) and dreamed of being a famous writer some day, one of the perks was thinking of all the free time I'd have. Okay, so fast forward a decade or so, and the orange colored glasses are gone. ( I'm an Orioles fan. We've had 12 straight losing seasons and I still love my team, so the glasses went from "rose" to "orange" a long time ago). As it turned out, writing was a lot more time consuming than I originally thought.

For starters, it took me until last summer to learn I had to buckle down and write every day. Who knew dreaming of writing a novel would not actually get it written for you?! Then there is this whole pesky ordeal of finding an agent, which is not unlike trying to find a game token dropped in the ball crawl at Chuck E Cheese (no, I don't have kids. I just worked there in my youth, and trust me when I say there were far worse things found in the ball crawl from time to time. Blech!)

Over the past year, I've learned just how much time writing actually takes ... and it's something I don't think non-writers can really comprehend. I've learned, a novel is never truly finished. The one I'm in the process of shopping to agents now is highly polished, yet every time I go back through it there is something minor I can tweak or tighten. I'm convinced this will continue, until I finally sell the story or get so sick of it I put it away to never be seen again ... at least for a really, really, really long time. None of this takes into consideration the writing of the query letter (which is harder than writing a freaking novel, if you ask me), writing a synopsis, composing query submissions to be mailed/emailed since every agent likes theirs a little different than the last, reading over all the agents and fellow writers blogs (which I admittedly spend too much time doing) ... and last but not least, writing a new story.

How is everything else supposed to fit? Especially for those who need to work full time as well? I'm currently still looking for work after being laid off, which is like a job unto itself sometimes...but I know I'll be back to the 9-5 in the near future, so I am keeping that consideration in mind. I'm not complaining, because I've finally found myself doing something I really enjoy, but it is far from stress free.

How do you all manage your time so you still get stuff accomplished in your writing, but not to the exclusion of everything else? And are there any pre-conceived notions you had about being a writer that you can now say "How in the hell did I ever believe that?"

Well Then ...

Rather than buckle down with getting a few more queries together (I've already done my revisions & researched more agents, just need to address & send them) I spent the better part of my night listening to a Spring Training game on the radio (the Orioles lost, btw) and playing around with the layout of my blog. For people who know just how technologically challenged I am, it should come as no surprise that it took me the better part of the evening. So, I've got a buttload (that means a whole bunch) of things I'll have to squeeze into tomorrow's schedule to make up for my idleness tonight. I'm right at the ending point for the story I'm currently working on, and I'm definitely ready for it to end. I know it has a ton of plot holes that I'm going to have to go back and fix later (plus, there is a brand new story idea niggling at one side of my brain, making it difficult to concentrate on the current one). I need to get away from this one for a month or two in order to come back to it in a new light and work out the kinks, but the darn ending isn't wiggling its way out of me quick enough. Needless to say, I probably should have been working on that, rather than my blog, this evening. And sadly ... I'm no closer to understanding Mr. Darcy's awesomeness. Pride & Prejudice is sitting in the same spot on my nightstand as it was Monday night when I put it down. Perhaps Sunday I'll be able to settle down and knock out of few chapters. For now, sleep is in order. Happy Friday!

What Day Is It?

It's "What The Heck is Gonna Happen on LOST" night! Please TV gods, make them answer at least one of my questions. Hey, I've had a rough week (yes, I know it's only Tuesday): -- I'm officially going through Olympics withdrawal. (I now have an incredible desire to go ice skating and shopping with Johnny Wier, and I fear that neither is going to happen.) -- One of my best girls, Kristin, is on her way down to Sarasota for a week of spring training and I'm so freaking jealous it's not even funny (warm weather and good-looking men in tight white pants, what's not to like?). -- And I bit off all my nails during the USA vs. Canada hockey game, so now I'm having adjust to not being able to pry things open with them. Had I realized prior to the game how much I depend on said nails, I would have thought twice before chewing them. I was also up until almost 2am last night, re-writing my first chapter, but I'm not complaining, believe it or not. For months, I've been iffy on that chapter. It just didn't feel right. Seriously, I've revised and revised and revised that first chapter, and was still never a hundred percent sold on it -- which is not a good thing, since that's often the first one agents and editors want to see. Late last night (oh so very late) I finally gave myself permission to just say to heck-with-it and completely re-write it to see what I could come up with. And now I love it! Why didn't I do that months ago?! Oh, also this weekend I started reading "Pride & Prejudice". I'm slightly ashamed to admit I've never read it before (nor watched the movie), even though it's one of those books that's always talked about. Soon enough I'll be able to decide for myself if Mr. Darcy is worth all the hubbub. I'm only on chapter ten so far, so he hasn't done much to sway me one way or the other. I'm not averse to slightly arrogant men, it would seem.

The only thing that makes Tuesday better than Monday ... is LOST!

During the winter, when there is no baseball, the only way I can track the days of the week is by what television show is coming on that night. Since LOST comes on tonight, Tuesdays have now become a bright spot in my week. Two weeks ago it would have been a toss-up between Tuesday and Thursday, but "Vampire Diaries" & "Supernatural" have both gone on some unexplained, and truly upsetting, hiatus until late March. (Good thing I love you so much, Damon Salvatore & Dean Winchester, otherwise it would be out of sight, out of mind.) Okay, so on the writing front... Queries: I sent out 2 letters last week, and I've got 3 more agents on my agenda for this week (one email already sent yesterday). I'm sure there are some people who know me - or are reading this - thinking "Um, why don't you just send them out all at once and get it over with?" If only it were that easy! For some authors, the agent querying process might seem akin to sending in a resume for a job listing (something else I'm also getting a lot of experience with, right now) ... and while that makes perfect sense, I just can't seem look at it that way. For me, it almost feels like asking someone out on a date. It's scary as hell! Here you are, mustering up the confidence to ask someone to give you a chance to show them how wonderful you truly are, while desperately trying to ignore the screaming insecurities inside your head. Not an easy task. Made even less easy by the fact you have NO clue what is going on inside the other person's head. (This is why I much prefer it when guys ask ME out) I only put up a brave front, when really deep down I'm a terrible chicken ... so, I consider it quite a good deal of progress to have done the deed 3 times in the past week. Thankyouverymuch. Writing: As of my writing session earlier today, I'm not quite 3/4 of the way through the rough draft of my current work in progress (WIP). Woohoo! Go me, right? Except, apparently, I'm developing a pattern wherein this is the time in every project when the next story vying for attention becomes determined to distract me. Thank goodness I finally learned, last time around, that I have to ignore the urge to "take a little break" from my current work to dabble with the new idea. My computer's memory is a virtual graveyard of old stories that were never returned to from that little break. What I really need is to find some writing friends in the real world, so that my non-writing friends don't have to try so hard to pretend to understand. They try. They really, really try and I love them for it, but its time to let them off the hook so they can go back to being my sounding board for all things baseball, hot guys and LOST.

Query Letters & Characters w/ Coffee

Okay, so, after much ado earlier in the week, I finally sent out my first agent query letter today (that basically means I wrote a letter to plead for an agent to read my manuscript ... but the pleading was professional, mind you). It's a serious step in trying to get published, but I'm trying not to be so serious about the whole thing, if that makes sense. From everything I've gathered it can often times be a long and trying road to find sucess in a writing career, so I'm attempting not to sweat the small stuff along the way. That being said, I did have a "did that really just happen?" moment on the way to the post office this morning. For anyone who knows me, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that I stopped by the drive-thru at Starbucks on my way to mail my first agent letter -- seriously, I need to join a 12 Step Program for my latte addiction. Anyway, when I pull up to the little order-speaker-box the guy on the other end happens to have the same name as one of the characters in my story (it's not a very common name). I thought it was cool, but at that point I was more focused on getting my coffee. Then, I pull up to the window and when the guy with my character's name leans out to take my debit card ... he looks like my character too. Not just a little, but a lot! He was a few years younger, but it was unbelievably weird. I'm sure he thought I was a freak, the way I stared at him while he gave me my coffee. The whole thing, of course, was a highly unusual coincidence ... but I'm going to pretend it was a sign from the Writing Gods, telling me I have their blessing to proceed. Now, if I could pull up to Starbucks and have the guy at the window be able to explain to me what the heck is going on, on LOST that would be even better!