Energy

I'm hardly a new-agey, spirits-and-crystals type. I'm more of a hard-edged, point-and-mock science geek. However, I've really noticed that my mental state makes a huge difference to my creative output. The new-agey types may now point-and-mock back at me for this astounding revelation. Energy matters.

Since getting an agent, I've made a lot of progress on plotting my next novel. It had been going very slowly prior to that.

I'm certain this is mostly due to the excitement of feeling like my writing career is going somewhere again. I started sleeping less; I started getting more ideas for the book. I also feel like I've got an obligation to get cracking on the next novel now, since there is another human being in the world who is expecting me to. However, most of the progress is simply due to a jump in my mental energy.

In this post, Josh links to David B. Coe's list of habits writers should acquire, and the top two are exercise and healthy eating. If you think about it, these are just ways to keep yourself mentally at the top of your game. You're more likely to feel like writing if you've got more energy.

The one thing I would add to Mr. Coe's list is to keep yourself well stimulated (hur, hur.) (Okay, no, I didn't really mean it that way.) (Although... If you write erotica, that sort of activity might come in handy useful to your writing also.)

Rather than holing up in your writing spot all the time, give yourself opportunities to go to movies, go for walks with friends and sweeties, read books, and visit museums and art galleries. Heck, go ahead and give yourself permission to play computer games in moderation; some of them have awesome and inspiring story lines. All of it serves to keep your brain zippy and inspired, and that will only benefit your writing.

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What do you do to keep yourself in top writing form, and what techniques would you suggest to other writers as being particularly effective? I'd love to hear your tips and tricks.