Archives for February 2013

Dragon notebook with a hard cover, heavy duty spiral rings, and quality paper (important, since I am using sharpies). I like bold contrasting colors to break the monotony.  I have a large and ever growing collection of books on writing. Today I purchased three books: Self Editing for Fiction Writers (Rennie Browne and Dave King), Write Great Fiction – Revision And Self-Editing (James Scott Bell), and Writing the Blockbuster Novel (Albert Zuckerman). I’m in the mood for a writing boot camp.I absolutely love cool notebooks, and tend to acquire them without having a reason. Blank pages call to me. The notebook you see here has been begging for attention. So being a pleaser, I decided to fill it with notes from seven books on writing. Self Editing for Fiction Writers (Rennie Browne and Dave King)Write Great Fiction – Revision And Self-Editing (James Scott Bell)Writing the Blockbuster Novel (Albert Zuckerman)Plot and Structure (James Scott Bell)Writing the Breakout Novel (Donald Maass)Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing (Quick & Dirty Tips) (Mignon Fogarty)Grammar Girl’s Punctuation 911: Your Guide to Writing it Right (Mignon Fogarty)I also tried to purchase The Fire in Fiction: Passion, Purpose and Techniques to Make Your Novel Great (Donald Maass) but the Kindle version was unavailable on Amazon due to reformatting issues. 

Some of these books I have read multiple times. They have been highlighted, dog eared, and generally abused. However, despite the intense, emotional relationship I have with these books, they understand others will share the shelves. We don’t have an exclusive relationship. I am constantly searching for another book on writing that informs and inspires. Please post your suggestions.And always remember – write strong, write free, write like you mean it. www.scottmoonwriter.com Click to Tweet!

The greatest thing is confidence…

I have followed the program for two weeks, never missing a workout. I quit lifting weights, for now, and have focused on completing the 60 day program. From a scheduling and distraction aspect, the hardest week will be week four, because we are taking a family vacation. I figure that if I can stick to it then, the sky is the limit.Fitness has always been important to me, but I have allowed many other responsibilities to completely push fitness and health to the back burner. I am very self motivated, but have a program to follow increases accountability. 

Insanity Workout Schedule (Month One)  Week 1     1-20-13   Fit Test 25 min     1-21-13   Plyometric Cardio Circuit 42 min     1-22-13   Cardio Power & Resistance 39 min     1-23-13   Cardio Recovery 33 min      1-24-13   Pure Cardio 38 min     1-25-13   Plyometric Cardio Circuit 42 min     1-26-13   Rest Rest  Week 2     1-27-13   Cardio Power & Resistance 39 min     1-28-13   Pure Cardio 38 min     1-29-13   Plyometric Cardio Circuit 42 min      1-30-13   Cardio Recovery 33 min      1-31-13   Cardio Power & Resistance 39 min      2-01-13   Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs 55 min      2-02-13   Rest Rest
A few overuse injuries have bothered me, but stretching and careful attention to how hard I push have enabled me to continue. I definitely recommend following a doctor’s advice if you have any problems or concerns. The key is knowing what is an excuse and what needs to be addressed. I have promised myself that I will stop and heal if I hurt myself. I made the mistake of pushing through an injury once before and it cost me two years. But I have also learned there is a fine line between stupid exercising (ignoring injury) and smart exercising (pushing through non-injurious pain).Oh, yeah, the spell checker hates the words Plyometric and Cardio. (There are squiggly red lines under the words as I type this blog.)NOTE: I am not an affiliate of the Insanity or any Beach Body product at this time (though I have been considering their affiliate program)