Friday 2 April 2010

Chair phobia

The trouble with a blog about writing, is that it goes a bit quiet when I'm not doing much of it! This problem is about to be rectified though, as I have signed myself up for a couple of agent appointments at the Winchester writers' conference and the fear should get me going again...

Having a bad back which limits the time I can sit down, has rather curtailed my writing for the last few weeks. Knowing I only have half an hour before I'll want to get up has put me off even starting. I think this is more of a mental problem than a physical one, but I have to get started again now. The novel I'm hoping to show to the scary lovely agents is picked to pieces at the moment, and has to be substantially reassembled before I see them at the end of June.


I also need to start planning how I'm going to fit in more of a fitness regime. The physiotherapist keeps talking about Pilates and strong stomach muscles featuring in my future. Stomach muscles? What are these things of which she speaks?

16 comments:

HelenMWalters said...

You are brave signing up to see agents. I'd be terrified

Jen said...

Well if agent-seeing isn't fearsome enough to get you going, I don't know what is!

Stomach muscles? Nah. Think she's confuzzled. Mussels maybe. Mmmmm. Etc.

Karen said...

I saw agents at Winchester a few years ago - a great experience, but noisy!

Pilates is great for everything, give it a go :o)

Lorna F said...

Brilliant that you've got two agent-appointments lined up - I look forward to hearing how it goes. As for stomach muscles, well, I haven't been in possession of such things since well before the births of two kids, and even when I did have them they were pretty lazy articles. The problem with your chair-pain could be turned to your advantage if you use it as a deadline and challenge yourself to write that conversation, describe that location, revise five pages, all before the pain gets too much to endure. x

Jenny Beattie said...

So sorry to hear about your bad back. The physios at the hospital here told Husband about a book called '7 Steps to a Pain Free Life' and his back and neck pain has gone! Pilates seems to be some sort of magic too.

Crikey, good luck with the agents. I'm most impressed.

Denise said...

Helen - I've discovered the scariest things are always the ones I'm most glad I did!

Spiral - I'm relying on the terror, it's the only thing that can be relied upon to make me work! Mussels - you know, she might have meant those...

Karen - Yes, I've experienced the bedlam before, it's a truly odd experience isn't it?

Lorna - Ooh, good idea. The chair challenge!

JJ - I've heard of this book, keep meaning to go and look for it, thanks for the reminder. I think the real magic will be if I'm sufficiently bendy to do Pilates!

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

Fear is a great incentive to do things.

Good luck with the agents and with finding those stomach muscles.

Anonymous said...

I did a bungee jump for charity once. Meeting literary agents seems terrifying in comparison. Good luck.

Annieye said...

Writing is not something you can really do standing up, is it? Hope you soon feel better, Denise, and I'll look at the Winchester website this week and let you know what I've chosen.

Denise said...

Debs - I'm beginning to think fear is the only real motivator!

Captain - Eek, bungee jumping is not for me. Will gladly sit with the agents instead!

Annie - thanks. Yes, look at the website, it'll be great fun!

Lane Mathias said...

Mus -cles? Musc-les? Nope, you've lost me:-)

There was a writer who wrote standing up but I'm blowed if I can remember who. Not that I could write standing up anyway.

Still fear is a great motivator so I'm sure you'll find a way:-)

Lane Mathias said...

Just googled it. Apparently it was Hemingway. But then he wrote in the nude too .....!

Anonymous said...

How did it go with the agents? Must have been nerve wracking!! Hope your back is better now and look forward to seeing you soon:)
Have actually been writing!!!! have a short story ready for the off...fingers crossed and toes:)

Jenny Beattie said...

Denise, I don't know if you still check this blog but I've been doing a bit of tidying up on my blog. I thought I'd leave a note to say I've been doing pilates for 3-4 weeks now and have noticed a remarkable improvement in my strength. And you don't need to be bendy!

I hope you're doing okay...

Denise Covey said...

I had to pop over to see who this other Denise was. Seems like you're a lot braver than I! Seeing agents indeed! Well, I want to be published but that still seems terrifying!

Happy New Writing Year!

Flowerpot said...

Well done for signing up for those agents - I did it one year and it was exhilarating wheh you got over the fear! I have been told that Pilates or yoga are great for bad backs.