Training
I absolutely love going to the gym. I love being by myself (I hate and fear team sports). I love choosing what I do, going from machine to free weights to treadmill to rower to an unused room for karate practice to stretching. I love feeling strong and active. Most of all, I love feeling like I'm getting fit enough to do things that the characters in books do: run, jump, ford streams, climb mountains, push through the woods to rescue someone in distress. That's why, twenty years ago, I started training in karate: I got tired of only being able to read about adventures — I wanted to be able to have them. Since then I have racked up a relatively lengthy list of Xena-Warrior-Princess skills, and I still haven't lost my love of making make-believe real.
Plus, I reckon that being fitter actually does improve my physical and mental stamina for writing. There are no doubt many studies out there that prove this; probably rather fewer exploring the benefits of pretending to be Xena, Warrior Princess. All I know is I feel better when I'm training.
posted by Laura E. Goodin @ 4:58 PM (permalink)
5 comment(s)
5 Comments:
Have you ever tried writing while lifting weights/ on the cycling machine/on the rowing machine/ stretching/ practising karate?
M
It's an interesting idea, but my handwriting is bad enough without trying to write while clutching a 7kg weight, or dripping sweat on the pages, or doing a form. "Hi-YAAA! -- Oops, I'll just remove that pen from your eye socket, sorry, sir."
Hmm... Yes, blood all over the pages would not be what an agent/publisher would be looking for in a manuscript. Although, they may think you are the new Poe, what with the strange and scary projection.
Perhaps the gym fees could be writtne off as a tax deduction for "research purposes? " :-)
Margaret: The new Poe? Wasnt that a tellytubby?
Post a Comment
<< Home