Health Concerns - A-Z Blogging Challenge, Starting & Sustaining A Writing Career

A while back, I decided that H would be dedicated to something to which writers need to pay special attention—health.

Those of us with day jobs may sit for a major portion of the day and those of us who write from home forget to get up and stretch our legs once we’re off and running with a plot point.

The other day, I read an article that gave me a bit of a scare. I haven't been able to find it again, but I've linked to a few below that speak to the damage we do to our bodies while we sit for hours on end. Others speak to what we can do to stay in good health. Take the time to read at least one. Remember, we can't do much of anything if we're in poor condition.

Just Stand

Don't let sitting all day kill you

How sitting all day is damaging your body and how you can counteract it

Many reasons a chair is killing you

Sitting all day - worse for you than you might think

Sitting at Work - Why it's Dangerous

Thoracic Mobility & some freebies

Too much sitting linked to an early death

Why sitting increases your risk of dying sooner

In case you're wondering if I'm trying to scare you, the answer is yes. Get up and move around for a bit. Now!

Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.
                                                                              - John F. Kennedy

Time and health are two precious assets that we don’t recognize and appreciate until they have been depleted.
                                                                             - Denis Waitley

Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.
                                                                            - Jim Rohn

Writers - A-Z Bloggging Challenge, Starting & Sustaining A Writing Career

Many of us write in isolation, we may share space with someone else while tapping out our stories, but our minds puts us in another realm. Apart from face-to-face interaction with other writers, the internet gives us access to a host of kindred spirits who are on a similar journey.

Without hesitation, I can say the internet has been a tremendous source of knowledge and without the people I've met online, I wouldn't be as decent a writer as I am today. I'm grateful to a host of people who shared their knowledge and critiqued my work when it was a mess that needed plenty of refinement.

When you have a bad review, low to no sales, rejections as well as positive situations, writers can identify with what you're going through and commiserate. On your journey, you don't know who might act as a kingmaker and turn your career around in a short time.

There are a lot more people who read than people who write, so other writers shouldn't be viewed as competition. If anything, seize the opportunity to learn from other who are further along on the journey or who have a keen understanding of particular areas, like marketing and promotion.

I believe other writers are perhaps the biggest blessing we have, so it's important to value relationships and be a true friend. When your friends and family don't understand you flaking out over a plotline that refuses to come together or a character who insists on taking you down a story path you had no intention of writing, a writer will.

Your friendship with other scribes will yield rewards you won't see coming until the time is right. Nurture your relationships. They'll get you through the vagaries of this craft we all love.

Can you think of any writers who have been lifesavers up to now? Are you being a friend and lending a hand to other writers?

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.
                                                            - Jane Howard

Rachael Harrie's Platform Building Campaign

I have a post going up later, which is an interview and giveaway with Kelley Smith, author of Glittering Ashes, however, I wanted to remind you all  about Rachael Harrie's Platform Building Campaign. 

If you're interested in building links with other like-minded writers/bloggers, you should go over there tomorrow and sign up for the next Campaign.  Registration closes on August 31 and then the fun begins.

Go here to see what it's all about, but I can tell you that I met a LOT of cool bloggers and enjoyed participating in the flash fiction challenges during the last campaign.