My husband regularly
runs, swims, and lifts weights. He loves to mix the disciplines, claiming they
use different sets of muscles. Apparently, using the same muscles over and over
is not efficient in gaining strength and stamina. Something about disrupting muscle
memory and causing each muscle to work harder. He tells me he feels so alive
after a good run or a workout.
My idea of exercise
is a long walk or a Pilates class. No sweating allowed. I’ve been trying out
yoga. Sort of. Isn’t my enthusiasm overwhelming?
Now, ask me about
mind fitness. I can spend an entire day reading a good book. Time has no meaning
when I’m working strategy on board games or filling out crossword puzzles. The
satisfaction of finishing the puzzle with not one cross-out (if I can’t
use a pen, where’s the challenge?), of winning the game, or of closing the book with a sweet sigh of, “ahhh,”
spells success. The only thing my husband would get out of those exercises is a headache.
Since writing is
closely aligned with reading, I’m willing to invest hours of effort to improve
in the craft. The hours have added up to years.
At first, I wasn’t
too enthusiastic about writing exercises. Author friends made gentle
suggestions of books I could read in order to put depth in my stories, but with
my gung-ho attitude in writing full-length
fiction I didn’t listen. Friends were likely to hear something along the lines
of, “Leave me alone. I’m trying to write a novel here.” My time was limited. I had to get to it.
If my husband had
maintained such an attitude, his first attempt to run a 5K marathon straight out
of his armchair would have resulted in a week-long limp, if not a hospital stay!
It took me about
a year, but I got tired. Novel-writing was a lot harder than that first
glorious Nanowrimo. To restart my engine, I joined ACFW, and thanks to the main
loop, I discovered a treasure of blogs and books to study.
With the
encouragement of Brilliant Cut Editing (thank you, Deirdre), I found out writing
flash fiction is fun. It’s kind of like those puzzles I love. How can I make a
complete story fit into the parameters of a thousand words or seven hundred or one
hundred? Like a puppy with a new chew toy, I’ll play with those words until
someone insists I leave it alone for a while.
I also joined a
local writers group. Wary of criticism, I started small and tried my hand at a
short story. The group was encouraging! I tried another short story.
When I returned
to my novel, I could see how my skills had improved, so I've continued to practice at home and away. Workshops, conferences, retreats, contests. Flash fiction, short stories, and
novel-length fiction, and I seek feedback wherever possible.
I’ve contributed
to blogs and have a blog/author website of my own. Penning nonfiction is a
refreshing break from fiction, and creating short stories uses a different set
of writing muscles from novel structures.
What had my
husband told me? A variety of exercises using different muscle groups builds
strength and endurance more efficiently. He’s right. And it works for
writing, too. As I participate in short story exercises, sensory detail drills,
emotional depth practice, even poetry, the end of a good workout leaves me
feeling alive and energized.
.
If you haven’t yet
begun a regimen of writing workouts in a variety of disciplines, I promise: you
won’t be sorry!
Linda Sammaritan writes realistic fiction, mostly for kids
ages ten to fourteen. She is currently working on a middle grade trilogy, World Without Sound, based on her own
experiences growing up with a deaf sister.
Linda had always figured she’d teach middle-graders until
school authorities presented her with a retirement wheelchair at the overripe
age of eighty-five. However, God changed those plans when He gave her a growing
passion for writing fiction. In May of 2016, she blew goodbye kisses to her
students and dedicated her work hours to learning the craft.
A wife, mother of three, grandmother to seven, Linda regales
the youngest grandchildren with “Nona Stories,” tales of her childhood. Maybe
one day those stories will be in picture books!
Where Linda can be found on the web:
Joe
Allison writes both fiction and nonfiction, and has been a member of
the Indiana chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers since 2010. He lives in Anderson, IN, with his wife Maribeth and daughter Heather.
