Writing As Brain Exercise

     In episode 8.13 of their weekly podcast series, that dynamic foursome over at Writing Excuses discusses the importance of faking it until you begin making it as a professional writer (you can listen for free at http://www.writingexcuses.com/index.php?s=Fake+It). Of course, the group isn’t advocating that people should puff themselves up and put on some artificial face that doesn’t really belong to them.

     Their meaning is simply this: if you have aspirations of one day becoming a professional writer, then you need to start developing the kinds of skills, habits, and work ethics that professional writers already have.

     In the last few years that I’ve been “faking it” as a writer, I finally came to realize something that many professional writers probably already learned a long time ago -- that creative writing is an intense physical brain exercise. And the mental and physical stamina required to think and write creatively for extensively long periods can be downright paralyzing at times.

     I’ve often felt so burned out from thinking and writing that I would cringe just looking at my laptop. For many writers, especially new ones, burning out can be discouraging and, unfortunately, sometimes leads to giving up. So what can writers do to avoid burning out, especially early on in their careers?

     Like any other strenuous physical activity, writing requires an appropriate amount of pre- and post-writing activity to help your brain endure and recover from those long stretches of intense exertion.

     Three weeks ago, my wife convinced me to begin running again. Jogging was a passion I had in college and I was pretty good at it. In fact, one of my favorite recurring dreams features me zipping along a suburban tree-lined sidewalk, feet pumping furiously on a current of air while I float several inches above the ground.

     After nearly two decades of raising children and chasing a demanding finance career, I was pretty sure my zipping days were over. But I was curious. Could I really pick the old habit back up again after so many years? Maybe I could even shed a few of those extra pounds I had garnered from my desk job. I finally relented and agreed to give it a try.

     We outfitted me with a brand new pair of running shoes and loaded a “Couch to 5K” app onto my iPod, then hit the trail together as soon as I got home from work. Forty-five minutes later, at the end of Day 1 Program 1, I thought I was going to die. I hit the showers as soon as we got home and crashed into bed, falling immediately into a sleep coma that lasted all night.

     When I woke up the next morning, I couldn’t move. It took every ounce of energy and an extreme amount of wincing and moaning just to roll out of bed and limp my way towards the bathroom. I had been so proud of myself for completing Day 1 and had looked so forward to my hot shower and soft pillow that I had completely forgotten to stretch out after running.

     It’s been several weeks since that first running day and I can look back now and say things are much easier. Why? Because I was able to fake it until I made it by developing good running habits. I've never missed an evening run, no matter how tired I felt after work. I never made excuses... well, at least none that kept me from running. I learned the importance of properly warming up and cooling down, using correct form, and tracking my pace times. As a result, I’m not nearly as sore anymore and I ALWAYS remember to stretch when I’m done.

     Then it dawned on me that these same principles could also help me avoid cramping up and burning out when I write. Before I sit down and start cranking out the next plot turns in my current WIP, I take some time to warm up and get my brain pumping to circulate all those creative juices around inside my melon. After that, the real work begins -- an intense sweaty workout where my fingers are flying across the keyboard, desperately trying to keep pace with how fast my imagination wants to race. After pushing myself hard to accomplish more than I think I possibly can, I take time at the end to cool down and reflect on what I’ve just accomplished for the day.

     For those who have dedicated themselves to writing, especially those who want to actually get paid for their work some day, writing can be tough at times. When you think about it, writing really is a strenuous brain exercise that demands time, practice, and lots of dedication. To be successful and avoid burning yourself out, you have to develop good habits before you can expect to see any significant improvements. Spending some time warming up, working hard every day on your story, and taking time to cool down and prepare for the next day are all great ways to help you fake it until you actually make it as a professional writer.

     If you’re interested, here are some of my favorite writing warm up and cool down activities. I don’t do all of these in any given day; I usually just choose one or two and mix things up occasionally to discourage boredom.


Warm Up Exercises
The Internet has tons of different writing exercises to get your mind cranking. These are some of my favorites. I usually spend anywhere between fifteen and twenty minutes or so doing these before my main writing session. For the best results, set a timer to avoid blowing all your important writing time on fun warm-up activities.

Passion Writing - Does your current work in progress seem like it’s lacking vitality and excitement? Spice things up for several minutes by writing about something that sparks your passion. What issues push your hot buttons? What topics get your Mojo revving? What would you really like to tell your boss if you had half a mind?

Down the Rabbit Hole - Which authors do you love to read the most and why? Sometimes it’s helpful to escape into another author’s world for a while, especially if we’re feeling a little stuck on a current project. At the end of The Lord of the Rings, I wasn’t ready to leave Middle Earth and was actually sad when the story ended. When I feel like escaping the real world for a little while, I’ll often pick up Tolkien or Wells or Bradbury for a while and try to figure out why certain passages thrill me so much.

Person, Place, and Thing - Draw two lines down a sheet of paper, dividing your page into three equal columns. In the first column, start listing types of people: cops, murderers, princesses, drug addicts, grandparents, fourteen year old boys...anything that comes to mind. In the middle column, list a bunch of cool places: Mozambique, Ireland, a European medieval castle, the Ford Theater, the planet Mars in the year 2783, etc. In the last column, list things or events: a shipwreck, the Hindenburg explosion, the Big Bang, an asteroid collision, the Battle of Bull Run, lunar landings, time travel, etc. Now choose a person, place, and thing/event and combine them into a short story.

Sherlock Holmes - Pick three random items in your bedroom and write a three hundred word description about those objects. Focus on what those objects reveal about the kind of person you are or the kind of person you want people to think you are.

Four Senses - Write a two hundred word description of an interesting place in your neighborhood without using the sense of sight. Describe the smells, tastes, sounds, and sensations of the area. Then read what you’ve written and see if it rings true. Give your description to someone else and ask them to tell you what they think the place looks like based on your descriptions. Did they “see” it accurately?


Cool Down Exercises
Just as important as warming up your creative mind to prepare for an intense writing session, you need to unwind and reflect on what you’ve accomplished when you’re done. This will help prepare you for another successful day tomorrow. The following ideas help me stay motivated overnight so I can return the next day feeling fresh and ready to go.

Cliffhangers - Audiences love a good cliffhanger because it creates unsatisfied tension and keeps them coming back for more. You can use cliffhangers in your own writing to keep you excited about whatever comes next, even if you don’t know what it is yet. At the end of your writing session, type some questions or ideas directly into your manuscript and brainstorm some new ideas about what might happen next. You may even discover that your subconscious churns these ideas over while you’re busy doing other things.

Notepads - I always carry a notepad and pen with me wherever I go. Very often after I’ve closed my laptop for the evening and gone to bed, several new ideas start popping into my head out of the blue. Make sure you have the means of capturing these thoughts and ideas as soon as they come before they escape.

Planning - Before leaving your writing space for the day, make sure you’ve set out all necessary notes, tasks, scene cards, research, etc. so you’re ready to go as soon as you sit down again to write.

Immersion - When I’m writing a story, I fill my writing studio with images, notes, books, research, scene cards, etc. from my story. I leave notes for myself at the office, in my car, in my closet, and next to my bed to remind me about my story. I even go to the Internet and download pictures of the actors I envision playing my characters in the blockbuster movie. Before I leave a writing session, I glance around and take all these reminders in to remind myself how much FUN creative writing really is.

Meditation - Simply taking some time at the end of a hard day to relax and breathe deeply just feels good. Sometimes I’ll take ten or fifteen minutes when I’m done writing and think about my own motivation for writing this particular story. Why does this story excite me? If it doesn’t anymore, why not and what can I do to fix that? I also think positively about the successes I’ve experienced in the past and try to visualize my current project being just as successful.

~ Morgan