Comments on: Lessons from the Gym

By: Top Picks Thursday 02-11-2016 | The Author Chronicles

Top Picks Thursday 02-11-2016 | The Author Chronicles — Thu, 11 Feb 2016 18:02:35 +0000

[…] The best advice comes from people with experience. Donald Maass explores how to fill the empty page with non-boring words, Juliet Marillier discusses her worldview as an older writer, Yvonne Kohano reflects on the split between her organized daytime life and pantser writing style, and Rachelle Gardner meditates on lessons from the gym. […]

By: Beryl Singleton Bissell

Beryl Singleton Bissell — Thu, 11 Feb 2016 16:47:06 +0000

Oh Rachel. You’ve hit it in all the right places. Preparing the marketing analysis was sheer agony.

I feel the same way about some forms of exercise, probably because I’ve refused to partake.

By: Gwen Tolios

Gwen Tolios — Mon, 08 Feb 2016 01:34:04 +0000

I find this rather funny because writing IS my me time. But I don’t have it as a career, yet, so that might play into it. That said, zumba classes always make me feel good. I love dancing, and such classes allow me to do so without the crowded nature of dance floor.

By: Neurotic Workaholic

Neurotic Workaholic — Sun, 07 Feb 2016 00:41:17 +0000

Step classes were hard for me; I was always “out of step,” so to speak. But I liked zumba because I got to dance and the instructors were funny; it’s easier to exercise when I’m dancing.
It’s definitely harder to get something done when you don’t want to do it. Then it becomes even harder to get it done the longer you put it off (believe me, I know).

By: J.Willis Sanders

J.Willis Sanders — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 22:04:18 +0000

Rachelle, I really admire your exercise-ethic. Now … to be able to bottle and sell it.

Dibs!!!

By: Craig Terlson

Craig Terlson — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 20:27:36 +0000

For me it’s the patience of the rewrite thing – but just recently that started to open up for me.
One of my writing heroes George Saunders talks about the rewriting process (and he does a ton of drafts). He says that in each rewrite, the story becomes more like him. That is to say the truth of the story he is trying to tell begins to crystallize in each revision. When he explained this in an interview, a lightbulb went on in my head. I’ve begun to have not only more patience with rewriting, but actually, ulp, enjoy it.

By: Elizabeth Varadan

Elizabeth Varadan — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 18:34:58 +0000

Nice post as usual. I suppose marketing is what is a chore for me. In some ways I love networking, but as a social activity with friends and family. I love connecting.

As far as query letters go, I don’t really mind them that much. And I do feel the queries are much better than they used to be. I’ll be looking long and hard at querying this summer for a new book I hope to finish revising by then, so (laugh) I may not be so enthusiastic about the query letter then.

By: Caroline McGraw

Caroline McGraw — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 17:55:11 +0000

What a great series of comparisons! I too am an exercise devotee, and I love when experiences at the gym fuel insights into the rest of life.

For example, I started a weightlifting regimen this year that has made me both physically and mentally stronger. Patiently lifting heavy objects over and over again has changed my attitude and my pace as well.

So thank you for this post, Rachelle – it gave me the boost I needed to dive into some uncomfortable tasks I’d been putting off!

By: Rachelle Gardner

Rachelle Gardner — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 17:43:27 +0000

In reply to John Wells. John, there are many reasons agents don't say that, but primary among them is... I could be wrong! It's all so subjective. I might mistakenly reject a literary masterpiece, but I DON'T want to be guilty of calling it a piece of trash!

By: Rachelle Gardner

Rachelle Gardner — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 17:41:25 +0000

In reply to Andrew Budek-Schmeisser. Ha! Great analogy - Pinterest exercising those unused muscles. :-)

By: Rachelle Gardner

Rachelle Gardner — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 17:40:26 +0000

In reply to Barb Roose. Barb, truly you are one of MY inspirations! Keep up the good work!

By: Barb Roose

Barb Roose — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 17:28:03 +0000

I love how you used exercise as a metaphor for doing the things we struggle with as writers. Goodness! Your observations were so personal to me at this newbie stage when everything seems hard and like the step class, my efforts seems laughable at times. Yet, I love your encouragement to step out of the comfort zone, prioritize! prioritize! prioritize! and then, give it time. Thank you. Needed this today!

By: Andrew Budek-Schmeisser

Andrew Budek-Schmeisser — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 14:11:07 +0000

In reply to John Wells. I actually DID have an agent say that to me! He had requested a full, read a chapter, then sent a note saying the above, and that he had destroyed the MS. He did have the courtesy to return the SASE postage I'd sent.

By: Andrew Budek-Schmeisser

Andrew Budek-Schmeisser — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 14:07:36 +0000

Interesting parallels…and exercises! I always did the running-pushup-situp-chinup thing, since you could do them almost anywhere (though I would not recommend chinning oneself on a tree branch with a large ant population).

I can’t say that I disliked any exercise, and do not dislike any part of writing. ‘Liking’ is really immaterial, and it’s all part of the job.

And yes, muscles that have not been exercised do hurt. Pinterest gives me a headache. But I’m learning.