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

11 comments:

Jessica Mobley said...

As always mommy, very good writing and advice. Love you.

Deborah said...

Awesome advice. Most of my best plotting comes when my body is in motion...I mean other than the motion of beating my head against my computer screen. Exercise gets you heart pumping, your blood flowing, and your lungs working. It does the same for your thoughts. In addition, endorphins make us feel happy and empowered. We can all use more of those feelings, right? Also, you might just find a toned, sexy body under all those years of having your butt in the chair and your hands in the cookie jar. Would't feeling sexy yourself make writing those steamy scenes that much easier? Thank you for your fresh approach to POV!

Reese Mobley said...

Jessie, thanks for being here! XOXO

Reese Mobley said...

Hey, Deb, thanks for commenting. I was worried that people would take this blog too serious. It was meant as a tongue-in-cheek approach to an issue some of us face. Me included. XOXO

Rox Delaney said...

When I lived on the farm, walking was what I did. Hey, out in the middle of nowhere, there's not a whole lot to do! As Deborah said, exercise is good for plotting, too, and I did a lot of it as I trod up and down the sanded road.

The sad thing is that I bought a treadmill over a year ago. It's still in the box. But my youngest and I have been walking...until the heat wave hit, anyway.

Reese Mobley said...

Rox, I hear ya about walking in the heat. Jax always wants to play out but it's to hot! Plotting while on the move works for me too.

Joanne Stewart said...

Great advice. Whenever I find myself stuck on a story, I get up and start moving. I find that in the middle of moving, the solution always somehow manages to present itself.

Reese Mobley said...

Thanks for stopping by Joanne. The WARA blog has a wealth of information.

Isn't funny how tossing a load of whites in the washer can jumpstart our brains. It must have something to do with the right brain left brain process. What do you write and are you published? I write romantic comedies and I'm not yet published.

Joan Vincent said...

Reese, thanks for the reality check served up with chuckles and the very good means of attacking the problem!

Penny Rader said...

I must admit I don't like my mirror's pov. Haven't for a while. Thanks for the pep talk. I'm definitely trying to incorporate more movement in my days.

Dina Preuss said...

Reese this was a delight to read! And of course great advice. I love the spin on POV. Brava! Great job.