I’ve been spending a lot of time at this computer lately.  I sit and write, write and sit.  Then one morning as I was hunched over these computer keys, I realized that if I make some small but meaningful changes to my nutrition and exercise, I’ll feel a whole lot better.  I’ll have more energy and feel more engaged when I’m working.  And then it hit me: if I feel better, I’ll write better.

It was like I just discovered gold!  It seemed so easy: just make some meaningful changes to my exercise and nutrition and I’ll be a better writer… inside and out.  Trouble is, I don’t know the first thing about nutrition or fitness, so I called up my good friend and trainer, Missy, and asked for some help.

Then I got another idea.  If this really works, I don’t want to keep it to myself, I’ll want to share it with all my writer friends (that’s you!).  So I invite you all to go on this adventure with me.  Every Tuesday for the next three weeks, Missy will guest post with fitness tips and exercises especially designed for writers or people who are computer-bound most of the day.

Kicking off this series is a brief intro on Missy.  For more about Missy, check out her blog and her Facebook page.

Introducing… Missy!

Missy’s passion for fitness and nutrition is contagious.  With 7 years of personal training experience and a degree in Nutrition and Dietetics, she knows how to help people reach optimal physical performance through proper nutrition.  She has certification in personal training from NASM, a TRX certification, is Pre-Post Natal Certified and trained in Integrated Flexibility.  Missy uses a diverse selection of exercises in her approach, including: boxing, plyometrics, yoga, weights and bands.

Always challenging herself to reach optimal health and fitness, Missy competes in the bikini division of the National Physique Committee.  She took 2nd place in her first competition, 4th in her second, and made it to a Nationals just a few short months later.  Missy is proud to say that unlike her fellow competitors who used traditional dieting, she went against the grain and incorporated an all natural, organic, approach to her own nutrition.

But perhaps Missy’s greatest strength is how she relates to people.  She takes a realistic approach to fitness and nutrition, and has a genuine love for making people feel good from the inside out.

Writing challenges are a great way to practice mindful writing.  I’ve talked about mindful writing in the past, and the idea is to be fully present in your writing and in the moment.  The question is, how do you do that when you’re doing a challenge?  If you’re pushing to write a whole novel in a month or a different story every day, you don’t have time to be mindful, you just have to cram in as much writing as you can.  Right?  Believe it or not, challenges like StoryADay and NaNoWriMo are actually great exercises in mindful writing.

Here’s why:

1.  You have to practice.  When you do a challenge like this, you’re reinforcing the daily practice of writing.  You’re showing up at the page every day and that’s the first step of mindful writing.

2.  You have to be present.  If you’re writing a story every day or trying to finish a novel, you can’t allow yourself to be distracted by other ideas or projects.  You need to focus all your energy on the project at hand.  This is great practice for mindful writing because if a new and sparkly idea comes up, you have to practice setting it aside so you can work on the current story.

3.  You have to bounce back.  If you miss a day or slip up during the challenge, you have to bounce back and keep writing.  You don’t have time to mope or beat yourself up for “failing” the challenge; you just have to write the next story.  This forces you to set aside those judging thoughts and go back to writing.

Remember: Mindful writing is about being fully present in that moment and in that writing project.  That means noticing when your inner critic is trying to barge in and letting those thoughts go.  It also means bringing yourself back to that project when your thoughts or ideas start to wander.

Are there any challenges you’re facing in your writing?  Is there a way you can use the experience to practice mindful writing?

I was recently interviewed by Julie Duffy of StoryADay and the interview is posted at StoryADay.org.  Squee!  Please check it out and share your thoughts so Julie gets lots of comments on it!

As we embark on our Writing Marathon today, I wanted to mention StoryADay, which is an awesome challenge that starts… today!

StoryADay is sort of like the short story version of NaNoWriMo, except instead of writing a novel in one month, it’s all about short stories.  The idea is you write and finish one short story every day for the month of May.  Julie’s set up a fantastic site where you can connect with other writers doing the challenge and post stories as you write them.  I did StoryADay last year and it was great fun.  Didn’t win, but that’s not really the point… the point of the challenge is to rekindle that love for writing and it definitely did that.

So if any of you are wondering what to do after your DIY MFA time in April, I recommend checking out StoryADay and trying out the challenge.

That’s the day after tomorrow!

I know I haven’t mentioned this in a while, but I wanted to remind you all that the big end-of-DIY-MFA writing marathon will be happening on Sunday (all day) May 1st.  For more details and to join in, head on over to our Facebook event page.

Basically how it’s going to work is this: you sign up on the page so we know you’re doing it.  On Sunday, tweet (#diymfa) or leave a comment on the event page when you start writing, then write your heart out!  When you’ve finished, tweet your end time and word count if you wish.  Also, don’t forget to cheer on your fellow writers.

Don’t worry if you can’t write for a full day on Sunday.  You can do a half-day (half marathon) or just a super sprint.  The important thing is that you take some time that day to make writing a priority.  I hope you all will join me in this!

Write on!