Today's cross-training for writers guest post is by author Kristina McBride, author of One Moment and Tension of Opposites. Learn more about Kristina and her books at www.kristinamcbride.com
Q. Have you (or do you) engage in another art or a sport that helps you as a writer--whether that's to give you a break, re-energize you, provide inspiration.
A. Hanging out with my two children (ages 5 and 7) often feels like a sport. And an art...
Q. Have you (or do you) engage in another art or a sport that helps you as a writer--whether that's to give you a break, re-energize you, provide inspiration.
A. Hanging out with my two children (ages 5 and 7) often feels like a sport. And an art...
They are refreshing and rejuvenating in a magical way. They also exhaust me, which is good, because sometimes sheer exhaustion is the only way for me to turn off a book that has overtaken my mind. Besides that, I exercise. Walking in the woods is one of my favorite things to do. In addition to that, running and circuit training help my mind as well as my body, both of which can simply hurt after a long day of writing. But one of the best things to move me forward in a project is cleaning . . . again, I feel like this falls into the category of both sport and art. Cleaning allows me to focus on any aspect of a work-in-project in a zoned-out, trance-like way until I smooth out the kinks. It’s utterly cathartic.
Q. Is there an art besides creative writing that you've ever done, or would like to do someday?
A. Years ago, I was really into pottery. I also spent a lot of time drawing and painting. I loved the process of creation while focusing on these forms of art and often went through emotions that are similar to the feelings I experience while writing – feeling both exhilarated and frustrated while moving through the steps that took me from the start of a project to the end. And, like with writing, I always found myself wanting to make one last tweak. Because revision is so important, right? I also used to cross-stitch, which doesn’t come with all the emotion, but definitely allowed me to zone out on the details of a creation. I loved all and hope to get back in touch with that side of my creativity one of these days.
Q. What's your most recent/upcoming book title? Is there an example of how 'cross-training' helped you with this project?
A. My latest release is the paperback of One Moment, which hit stores on July 9, 2013. The cross-training I did while writing this book was the writing itself. There are several versions of this story floating around on the hard drive of my computer. That answer has to count. I mean, writing’s a sport, isn’t it?
Q. Is there an art besides creative writing that you've ever done, or would like to do someday?
A. Years ago, I was really into pottery. I also spent a lot of time drawing and painting. I loved the process of creation while focusing on these forms of art and often went through emotions that are similar to the feelings I experience while writing – feeling both exhilarated and frustrated while moving through the steps that took me from the start of a project to the end. And, like with writing, I always found myself wanting to make one last tweak. Because revision is so important, right? I also used to cross-stitch, which doesn’t come with all the emotion, but definitely allowed me to zone out on the details of a creation. I loved all and hope to get back in touch with that side of my creativity one of these days.
Q. What's your most recent/upcoming book title? Is there an example of how 'cross-training' helped you with this project?
A. My latest release is the paperback of One Moment, which hit stores on July 9, 2013. The cross-training I did while writing this book was the writing itself. There are several versions of this story floating around on the hard drive of my computer. That answer has to count. I mean, writing’s a sport, isn’t it?
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