Flame: Writing & Working Out

For me writing is a lot like exercise. If it hurts, that means it's working, and in the end it always produces positive results.

This analogy is bolstered by the fact that when I’m successfully sticking to my workout regimen, I concurrently do a better job of consistently writing as well. It’s as if the discipline and dedication required for fitness unconsciously bleeds into the creative realm of my life. Or maybe staying in good physical shape also helps my mind become fit, and provides me with focus when I sit down to write.

Does anyone else think there’s a correlation between personal fitness and creative endeavors?

I need to sit down and write.

I just realized this fact.  But it is a good thing.

It’s not that I’ve been lazy. The day job has been hella busy, and thank God I am still employed, so I‘ve been putting in the time needed to keep ahead of the workload. Writing has to take a backseat to my career at this point, unless somehow writing can miraculously become my career. And since we are in a recession, I doubt that’s happening anytime soon.

I’ve been blessed in the past six months - a lot of my fresh work and newly revised pieces have been accepted. Right now, I only have a few short stories and a handful of poems to circulate around, and I don’t want to over-submit those pieces. Believe me, I’m far from being a shotgun submitter.  I try to learn all I can about most places I’m considering submitting to, read past issues, study their website, etc. So I don’t want to overextend the pieces I have and flood the same poems and flash fiction pieces to every place on earth.

Being an active writer and also an active submitter has put me in an envious position amongst most emerging creative-types:  if I’m going to continue submitting to magazines, online journals, and contests, I need to generate new material.  I also need to get back to reading more.  For me, reading begets writing.

So I’m focused on this weekend coming up. Going to get some good music ready and spend a few hours on both Saturday and Sunday trying to read and/or write myself out of a creative funk. Hopefully this goal will evolve from theory to reality.