The Healthy Writer

Do you suffer from physical pain relating to your writing life? Are you struggling with back pain, weight gain related to sedentary working, anxiety, depression, sleep problems, neck pain, eye strain, stress, loneliness, digestive issues, or Repetitive Strain Injury? These are the most common issues reported by writers and if you struggle with any of them, you are not alone. Writing is not a physically healthy job, but if you want a long-term writing career, then you need to look after your body. I've been through my own pain journey over the last six years. I used to get crippling migraines that sent me to a dark room, and back pain so bad that I couldn't sleep, as well as stress levels so high that I wasn't able to breathe normally. Now, my back pain, migraines and RSI have almost gone completely, and I manage my writing life in a far healthier way than ever before. I share my personal journey and insights with you in this book. My co-author is Dr Euan Lawson, who shares his insights into how we can reduce pain, improve health and build a writing career for the long term. The book covers: Introduction and survey results from 1200 writers 7 Reasons why writing is great for your health Part 1: The Unhealthy Writer Stress, anxiety, burnout Back, neck and shoulder pain Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) A personal journey to a pain-free back Writing with chronic pain Sedentary life and inactivity Sleep problems/ insomnia Eye strain, headaches, and migraine A personal story of headaches and migraine Loneliness and isolation Weight gain or weight loss Joanna's Letter to Sugar Digestive issues and IBS A personal journey through IBS with FODMAP Mood and mental health Riding the Waves: Writing with depression Alcohol - the good, the bad, and the ugly Coffee and caffeine Supplements, substances, and nootropics Part 2: The Healthy Writer Improve your workspace Sort out your sleep Sort out your diet From fat to fit Sort out your back Lessons learned about writing from yoga How to use dictation for a healthier writing life The active writer mindset Strategies for the sofa-bound The active writer: Three golden rules The running writer: Three rookie mistakes Lessons learned about writing from walking a double ultra-marathon Find a community Build wellbeing with mindfulness Develop healthy habits for the long-term Conclusion: It's your turn. Choose life! It's time to be a healthy writer!

Are you a writer struggling with back pain, weight gain related to sedentary working, anxiety, depression, sleep problems, neck pain, eye strain, stress, loneliness, digestive issues, or Repetitive Strain Injury? If you struggle with any of them, you are not alone. This book will help you become a healthy writer.

Brenda Ueland was a journalist, editor, freelance writer, and teacher of writing. In If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit she shares her philosophies on writing and life in general. Ueland firmly believed that anyone can write, that everyone is talented, original, and has something important to say. In this book she explains how find that spark that will make you a great writer. Carl Sandburg called this book the best book ever written about how to write. Join the millions of others who've found inspiration and unlocked their own talent.

Maintaining a healthy writing career isn't easy. With The Healthy Writer's Handbook, writers of any genre will learn to welcome a scribe's various stages of creativity, production, and research ... often crammed into the same day! Readers will appreciate the insights and advice shared by dozens of writers who participate in Robyn's weekly "Writer's Chat" newsletter. These bits of truth from the inky trenches will show how healthy writers must apply what they've experienced - from inviting the muse, to marketing what they've created. Peek inside and meet the other writers who've helped establish a holistic approach to living as a healthy writer. Write well, live well.

"Uplifting escapism...fresh and sweet."--Washington Post Discover the charming and heartwarming debut novel which shows us that love can be found in the most unexpected places... Meet Ellie. She's perfectly happy living her quiet life with her husband, Clive. Happy to wander the English countryside and write the occasional poem that nobody will read; happy to dream of all the things she hasn't yet managed to do. Meet Dan. He thinks all he needs is the time and space to make harps in his isolated barn, deep in the countryside. He enjoys being on his own, far away from other people and - crucially - far away from any risk of surprises. But what Ellie and Dan are about to learn that sometimes, you don't find love--love finds you...

Maintaining a healthy writing career isn't easy. With The Healthy Writer's Handbook, writers of any genre will learn to welcome a scribe's various stages of creativity, production, and research...often crammed into the same day! Readers will appreciate the insights and advice shared by dozens of writers who participate in Robyn's weekly "Writer's Chat" newsletter. These bits of truth from the inky trenches will show how healthy writers must apply what they've experienced - from inviting the muse, to marketing what they've created. Peek inside and meet the other writers who've helped establish a holistic approach to living as a healthy writer. Write well, live well.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A stunning “portrait of the enduring grace of friendship” (NPR) about the families we are born into, and those that we make for ourselves. A masterful depiction of love in the twenty-first century. NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • MAN BOOKER PRIZE FINALIST • WINNER OF THE KIRKUS PRIZE A Little Life follows four college classmates—broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition—as they move to New York in search of fame and fortune. While their relationships, which are tinged by addiction, success, and pride, deepen over the decades, the men are held together by their devotion to the brilliant, enigmatic Jude, a man scarred by an unspeakable childhood trauma. A hymn to brotherly bonds and a masterful depiction of love in the twenty-first century, Hanya Yanagihara’s stunning novel is about the families we are born into, and those that we make for ourselves. Look for Hanya Yanagihara’s latest bestselling novel, To Paradise.

"Inspired me to ask myself why and to stop postponing the forgotten dreams." —Geneen Roth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Women Food and God and This Messy Magnificent Life Full of inspirational insights and advice, lifehacks, and real-world examples, Someday is Not a Day in the Week is CEO Sam Horn’s motivational guide to help readers get what they want in life today rather than "someday." Are you: • Working, working, working? • Busy taking care of everyone but yourself? • Wondering what to do with the rest of your life? • Planning to do what makes you happy someday when you have more time, money, or freedom? What if someday never happens? As the Buddha said, “The thing is, we think we have time.” Sam Horn is a woman on a mission about not waiting for SOMEDAY ... and this is her manifesto. Her dad’s dream was to visit all the National Parks when he retired. He worked six to seven days a week for decades. A week into his long-delayed dream, he had a stroke. Sam doesn’t want that to happen to you. She took her business on the road for a Year by the Water. During her travels, she asked people, “Do you like your life? Your job? If so, why? If not, why not?” The surprising insights about what makes people happy or unhappy, what they’re doing about it (or not), and why...will inspire you to carve out time for what truly matters now, not later. Life is much too precious to postpone. It’s time to put yourself in your own story. The good news is, there are “hacks” you can do right now to make your life more of what you want it to be. And you don’t have to be selfish, quit your job, or win the lottery to do them. Sam Horn offers actionable, practical advice in short, snappy chapters to show you how to get started on your best life — now.