I've been trying to get back into shape recently. Like a few people I know, I used to be active. Then life gets in the way, and suddenly (or not so suddenly) we find ourselves older, out of shape, and unsure how to get back to where we were physically.
Surrounding myself with people who can help has gone far. I had a year of physio after a car accident, and many of the exercises I still do are based on the regime I had to get past my injuries. My chiropractor is great for offering help and instruction when I need it. I also have several friends who are very physically active and have learned some lessons along the way. Slowly and carefully I'm getting better, although I'm still far from my peak shape.
I'm feeling the same way about writing stories. I used to write a lot. It was so simple and effortless. I'd have an idea, sit in front of a notebook or typewriter or computer keyboard, and the words would just be there. I took it for granted, and then I let it go.
Because of this, my writing muscles are as out of shape as my physical muscles. Probably more so after three years of strength exercises since that accident. Writing in that time has been reduced to technical writing in software manuals, some text for the company website, and Tweets. Lots and lots of Tweets.
I'm not as sure of where I can find help to strengthen my writing. I know there are websites, but I don't know which ones are worth my time. There are books, but I need to hunt them down and find ones that suit what I'd like to write.
During NaNoWriMo I had the feeling that what I was writing was getting repetitive, even within that short window of time. I struggled with ideas, and with the form and style of my stories.
Everything atrophies if you don't use it. This blog is going to let me stretch my writing muscles, get them working again, and back into shape. It may be painful to start, but I know I can get there if I just keep exercising.
