MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL

I have to admit and apologize that I've been AWOL for most of July. I had out of state company and spent the most wonderful month playing grandma to my three year old grandson. So, when I rolled the calendar over to August and saw the big red letters B L O G on the 4th, I emailed our resident blogging guru goddess, Roxann and asked what our topic was this month.

POV Point Of View!!!!

Seriously? I'm probably the worst one to give advice on this very important subject. I would never forgive myself for clouding the minds of aspiring writers with tainted information and misguided advice. Having decided this was a topic better left to the experts (you know who you are) I decided to approach this whole POV issue a different way and introduce you to a topic that is very near and dear to my heart. And other parts of my anatomy.

POVFTM Point Of View From The Mirror

That's right. Something new to consider. As writers we spend a good portion of our time in our comfortable Office Depot faux leather chairs. If we're lucky, our fascinating characters are behaving, the hamster wheels in our brains are turning, our fingers are flying over the keyboard in record speed and our backsides are spreading faster than wildfire.

Sad but true my dear friends and fellow writers. If given the choice we would spend all day in front of our computers drinking Coke and nibbling on chocolate long johns or eating chips and dip like there was no tomorrow. I know I would. We might be writing the great American novel, but our bodies are turning into the great American tragedy. We're not doing ourselves, or our mirrors, any favors.

I speak from experience.

Next time we get stuck and just can't think of what perils to thrust upon our characters, we need to get up and walk the dog. Do push ups against the wall. Attempt 25 jumping jacks. Walk around the house or to the park. Go downstairs and start another load in the washing machine. Dust off that treadmill and cruise for a mile or two. Exercise fuels the brain, strengthens the heart and gets the creative juices flowing.

Try this for a week or two. Set a timer and get up and move every thirty minutes. Your characters will still be there when you get back. Who says you can't plot while you're on the treadmill. Who cares what the neighbors think if you talk to yourself while walking down their street. Think of this as multitasking.

Remember, only you can change your Mirror's Point Of View.

Trust me on this.

Hugs,
Reese