Saturday, March 27, 2010

Dan Is Back!

There he is in his chair by the window. Just soak him in for a moment. After spending a couple of weeks in The Outer Hebrides, Mr. Craig is back. (Only temporarily though, he leaves to shoot a film in a week.)

Apparently, the pure air and pristine scenery in Scotland inspired Dan. He is now concerned about my health and has begun kicking my butt out of my office to walk briskly through the hills near my home. I don't think this should be allowed because he is my writing muse not my personal trainer or life coach. The man is killing me. Dan turns a deaf ear to my complaints however and mutters something about me needing to lose two stone and eat more fish and vegetables. It's a good thing I love him . . .(He's leaving in a week, right? I can survive anything for a week.)

Here's a question for you, blogging buddies. Does your health affect your writing? Do the endorphins from exercise help you focus your mind or do they distract you from your goals? Do you schedule time to work-out?

Sorry for the interruption. The muse wants to look over my revisions and can't be bothered to leave his comfortable leather seat. While Dan does some critiquing, I want you to imagine that you have signed with an agent and achieved a remarkable three-book deal with an old, monied publishing house. Your story is as good as on the New York Times Best-Seller List! Tell me, who would you mention in your Acknowledgments section? Who would you dedicate your masterpiece to?

I can hardly wait to read your comments! Good, Mr. Craig is laughing aloud at something he just read. I hope it was the funny bit at the beginning. See you later, blogging buddies. I'm putting on my sneakers. It's a bright, sunny Spring morning and the walking trail is calling my name. (Err, or maybe that was my muse saying, "Off you go, love."

27 comments:

  1. Oh, I love Dan. Please send him down to London. I'm sure he can take a break from his job as your writing muse, non? :)

    My health does affect my writing. When I'm ill, I can't focus like I need to. Strangely, when I'm a bit tired, I seem to be able to focus more then when I'm buzzing with energy. Perhaps that's one good reason for me to cut down on the coffee!

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  2. I don't schedule workout time, unfortunately. I will though...eventually. I'm a pretty active person otherwise though, I walk all the time and I dance often. Every little bit helps.

    I would acknowledge my Muse, The Man, and my writing group. And all my blogger friends!!

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  3. The ususal illnesses I suffer from aren't purely physical. This is one reason I throw myself into writing and art, it helps me to see the good things in life. So when I'm not feeling good or especially down you can usually find me writing or painting when I'm not chasing my kids. I always end up feeling better when I do this, and I think I write better, maybe because I'm more tuned in to the emotions of my characters, kind of like an empathy with them. This is a crazy comment :) Just skip over it and read the rest of your lovelies.

    And I think I've waxed poetic quite enough about running and how much it helps me. If I don't exercise I'm cranky, which isn't good for anyone, writing included. I've even noticed my husband says to me, "How about you go for a run?" whewn I'm being especially bratty. Sneaky man.

    Welcome back Dan, I missed you :)

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  4. Hi, I'm new to your blog - looks like a treasure house and I already love Dan, inexplicably. Hmmmm...
    I walk. I have to walk - if I don't walk it isn't good for all the beings who count on me to be somewhat sane. that goes for the characters in my books.
    In my Acknowledgements I will mention my fella - who has been a steadfast believer in me, my best friend K. - who makes all the edges make sense, my lovely Dad who gave me the best writing advice ever - 'apply your bottom to the chair and go', my sister who is a constant first reader and despite the fact that she wants me to change the names of my protagonists all the time is lovely, my kids, my step-kids, my grand-kids, my dog who makes me walk which makes me sane and The Canadian Babes, who are ...well...The Canadian Babes.

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  5. My mental and physical health heavily influence my writing life. I try to work out at least 5 days a week and I have a job that keeps me running for hours at a time so that helps, too.

    I've thought a lot about who I would want to include in my acknowledgments section. Of course, those who've helped me along the way but I will also give a big shout-out to "all the potential employers who didn't hire me full-time for giving me a ton of time to write."

    Credit where credit is due and all that jazz.

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  6. I don't know if my health affects my writing? I can write when I have a cold or the flu, but is it just as good as when I'm well? I'm not sure. Good question!

    I need a muse. Does Dan have any friends?

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  7. Your muse is HOT! Lucky you :)) Yes, I function better all around if I've exercised that day. My writing included. And as for acknowledgements for my bestseller (how fun it is to dream!!), I'd include my husband and kids, and my sister Noelle, who is also a writer and supports my craft more than anyone else I know.

    Great questions!!! Have a wonderful weekend, Roxy!

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  8. That Dan! What a task master. ;)

    I din't do as well with my writing if I don't feel well. People say you need pain to write. I just need some nice quiet time and a snack. LOL

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  9. Walking and any exercise stimulate creativity. I go to a noon workout class at the Y usually three times a week. MWF is group power, a one hour weight lifting class set to music with an instructor. It's great. I've also started going to the yoga class offered at the same time on Tuesdays. Thursdays is a group cycle class (some call it spinning), but I don't like that one as much. I LOVE biking outside, around the lake, on the great trails here. I do lots of writing in my head, and life problem contemplating, as I pedal and pump iron. The yoga has a calming effect. I need to make that a regular class.

    Don't know, yet, who I'd dedicate a book to. However, I'm writing a script and if it were to become a screen play, I'd start making my list of who to thank when I accepted my Oscar for best original screen play. It could happen....

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  10. I'm touching a lot of wood before I even say this... I'm generally a pretty healthy person. I try to walk home from work most days - it's only about 40 minutes, but that helps. Enjoy your walk!

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  11. Erm... I jump around alot to the ever so wonderful Rosemary Conley's exercise dvds - gawd bless her - but as I need to do this at least 6 times a week if only to not be out of breath as I walk to the station, it gets a bit tedious. So to alleviate the tediousness, I think about what to write in my blog, I send out any thought tentacles to reach the nether regions of my brain for any hint of a story brewing away... and before I know it, my hour of huffing and puffing is over.

    :-)

    Mr. Craig on the otherhand would just really distract me and reduce me to a pile of quivering nothingness. Sigh.

    Take care
    x

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  12. Acknowledgements: My blogging community; my writers group; my day job that paid the bills while I fritted away my off time; all the people who ever told me "you know, you should write a book."

    The agent that believed in me enough to accept me as a client. (knock knock; are you in yet?)

    I know I don't get out enough and exercise. When I do, I feel so much better. If I'm feeling sick or very tired, I'm more apt to read another author than write. My muse is as lazy as myself.

    .......dhole

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  13. A few stretch or walk breaks are essential for me, or my brain just goes stagnant. I don't like my brain to have any fogginess, so I try to drink a lot of water and then tea to keep awake.

    What a nice muse you have!

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  14. Health-wise it's only (only, she says!) anxiety or depression that stop me writing. It's that little voice from within that hates me! But I think I am slowly kicking that voice to the kerb. :)

    I do worry about damaging my health in a way being so tied to a computer screen. I worry about my eyes, and my flattening butt! So every so often I go for a walk to clear the cobwebs. Also travelling back and forth to ful-time work is a bit of a break (although the work is not, sadly!)

    Acknowledgements - ooo. I like to ruminate on this. It changes every time I do, but the constant thing is to thank all the people that believed in me more than I believed in myself. Bless them, they are wonderful.

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  15. Dan is back!

    You are sooo funny!

    When I'm really stressed out and "mentally/emotionally" challenged, it's very hard for me to write -- I find staring out into space is the only thing I can do.

    But usually when I'm that stressed, I find that a spin class or Yoga snaps me out of it.

    Ah, who would I dedicate my book to? I have NO idea. Good problem to have though!

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  16. Glad your muse is whipping you into shape. DC knows that it's not enough to write. I agree with him that you need to eat well and exercise too.

    Yes, my health affects my writing. When I'm sick, it saps my energy and creativity. Being sick pulls me inward.

    My husband is making me dedicate my first book to him, since he dedicated his thesis to me. Is that fair if I can't even understand his thesis? Seriously, I'd probably pick him anyway.

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  17. :) Love your muse. He's so hot. :)

    I would dedicate my book to my sister and fellow writer... because she's always there for me and will talk writing with me... even in the middle of the night.

    I've got an award for you over on my blog!

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  18. I once had this totally random dream about Daniel. I was at the Oscars, nominated for a screenplay I wrote (you wouldn't believe this was a dream, would you?) and Dan, wearing a stunning tux, brushed by me in the aisle. He didn't even acknowledge my existence! I was cool with it though, cause, well, it was the Oscars!

    Wacky dream sharing aside--to answer your question, I would dedicate my book (or award winning screenplay) to my husband and my grandmother :)

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  19. i love that Daniel Craig is your muse - it makes my drunken chick look ever worse, by comparison. Ah well, she works for me. I guess i've never noticed if working out affects my writing one way or another

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  20. Oh, I wish I had a walking trail. I am not meant to be a city liver. Blech. Give me trees...the ocean...a lake...OK I'm slipping into a day dream here.

    Thanks for the reminder. I NEED to start exercising pronto!

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  21. Loved this post. I don't schedule time to exercise, though I know I need to. Right now I work a 40+ hour a week job, plus the added job of writing my novel. It's a wonder when I actually get more than 5 hours of sleep in a night. ;)

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  22. Yes, walking totally helps me write better. Maybe that's my problem. I haven't been walking for a week and I've also barely written anything for week. I need to walk. The kids have been sick and so have I so that probably has something to do with it too though.

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  23. Dan is definitely a hot muse.

    I find that when I spend time exercising each day I'm much more disciplined with my writing and perhaps even more productive although I've never looked at it in those terms before. I know for sure about being more disciplined though.

    Jai

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  24. Glad to see DC is back.

    I try to work out to keep the butt perky and avoid cancels.
    But when I go on stretches of not working out, I still write as often. I don't think the quality changes, but I never really compared and contrasted my work out writing vs. non-work-out writing. On the other hand, I'm sick as a dog and not writing anything right now.

    I'd thank my husband and daughter, my beta readers, and industry peeps: agent, editor etc.

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  25. I work ou regularly and I find that on days that I don't, my energy level isn't what it usually is and then my writing kind of drags, too.

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  26. Roxy I love your blog. I'm glad I finally got around to reading it. I really love hearing about your Danny boy. He sounds like a great motivater. You know a lot of people say my hubby Jonny looks like Daniel craige, only taller. I might be starting a blog here soon. I'll let you know when that happens. Keep up the good work.

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  27. Mom, I don't see anything in Daniel. He's old. Love, Taylor

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