Writing can be such a lonely affair. Just me and my blank page. So, for balance, I try to connect about writing with others in different ways. I've had a good amount of help.
Among my influences are June Foley, whose memoir-writing class changed completely how I shape a story; Warren Lehrer, whose theories and methods on character development have become an integral part of me as a person; and Barry Goldsmith, whose construction and deconstruction of comedy made for one of the more fun semesters I ever had and taught me a lot about entertainment.
These days, one of my favorite coaches is someone I've never met in person - Daphne Gray-Grant. Daphne lives and writes in Vancouver BC and sends out a frequent e-newsletter which is always welcome because it is always meaningful in some way and is always designed to be easy to digest. Check her out:
http://www.publicationcoach.com/
Today's newsletter was about the writer's health and raised the issue that writing is just one more activity where we can concentrate so hard that we FORGET TO BREATHE. It speaks to the neurobiological consequences of that omission, to posture and to general good practices for writers. Why is this important? Because it impacts directly our ability to create cogent, compelling written product.
Thank you, Daphne!
