By
Kate Hill (Guest Blogger)
I
love writing. To me, it’s a way to escape as well as a way to
express myself. There is a short list of things I don’t like about
writing. At the top of that list is that writing is sedentary.
It’s
easy to sit at a desk and get lost for hours in a book. For me,
sitting for extended periods of time can be a problem, especially now
that I’m older. Body parts stiffen up and I have a pelvic issue
that is aggravated by sitting. I also enjoy movement, and for most of
my life I’ve worked out on a regular basis. Though I set aside time
for formal workouts at least five days a week, I’ve found it
helpful both physically and emotionally to sneak in spurts of
exercise throughout my day.
Since
exercise and writing are important in my life, I’ve found ways to
combine the two, in particular during the editing stages of my books.
One of my favorite ways to do this is my mile a chapter routine. I
work on edits and proof reading for one chapter, and then I get up
and walk a mile. That gives me a fifteen to twenty minute break
between chapters that allows me to exercise my body and also clear my
mind so that I’m more focused when I sit down to work on the next
chapter. If I’m doing a five chapter novella, by the time I’m
finished, I’ve walked five miles, which is about ten thousand
steps. I love to wear a pedometer so that I can keep track of my
steps throughout the day. Sometimes I’ll do other types of exercise
in between chapters as well. Whatever keeps me moving, feeling good,
and inspired to work.
I
use a similar routine when I’m writing a first draft. I set a goal
of five hundred or one thousand words and do some type of exercise in
between. It can be a short walk, yoga, or calisthenics. Five to ten
minute movement breaks are preferable when I’m working on a first
draft because I don’t want to lose track of the story. When writing
a first draft, I like to go with the flow, so if I’m in the middle
of a scene that I want to finish, I won’t stop at a particular word
count, but in general I try to get up and move every half hour to an
hour.
As
a writer, I’ve found that stretching is especially important
because typing for long periods of time creates tension in my upper
body. Unfortunately, stretching is something that I don’t do often
enough throughout the day. I find that keeping an exercise journal
motivates me and reminds me to fit stretching into my day. The
journal also makes me happy because it’s another kind of writing
and it makes referencing past routines easy.
Do
you like working out? What are some ways you enjoy fitting exercise
into your daily routine?
Fangs
and Fists 2: Grit
By
Kate Hill
Blurb
Werewolf
gladiator Grit faced his own mortality in the arena, only to be
resurrected by a demon. Grit now lives a shadowy existence as one of
the soulless, remembering only bits and pieces of his former life.
Nonetheless, he recognizes evil and knows he must fight for the
future of his young son, as well as the rest of the world.
Zari,
a vampire warrior, helped Grit escape the tower where he had been
imprisoned. She had feelings for Grit when they'd first met, but at
the time he had been mated to another wolf. Now that he's on his own,
they're free to explore their feelings as they fight side by side as
part of the rebellion against the demons. In the midst of war, their
love grows, but danger is everywhere.
Haylen,
the demon who resurrected Grit, offers a bargain that may save or
destroy the rebellion. Whatever the outcome, Zari and Grit intend to
face it together and explore the once forbidden passion between them.
About
Kate
Always a fan of romance and the paranormal, Kate Hill started writing over twenty years ago for pleasure. Her first story, a short erotic vampire tale, was accepted for publication in 1996. Since then she has sold over one hundred short stories, novellas and novels.
When
she's not working on her books, Kate enjoys reading, working out,
spending time with her family and pets and running the Compelling
Beasts Blog, dedicated to antagonists, antiheroes and paranormal
creatures. She also writes under the name Saloni Quinby.
Links
3 comments:
Thank you for having me here today, Lisabet!
Hi, Kate! Welcome to my blog!
I like your ideas about mixing writing and exercise. Normally, I work until I'm too stiff to move, THEN go down to the gym to get the kinks out, but your plan is probably a lot healthier.
Good luck with the book!
Really interesting routine! I use Darebee's 100 Office Workouts book in a way sort of similar to what you describe. I try to aim for around one every hour I'm sitting at my desk. As you say, it really helps my writing as well as my body. One thing I've noticed is that the habit helps me when I get distracted, too, because it makes me notice and stop.
Great luck with the book! It sounds interesting!
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