Injecting Fun Into Your Routine: Step 3

So this is the final instalment of how I inject FUN into my routine. By the way, I’m not advocating that you do the exact same things I do to get your writing brain to peak performance. What I’m advising is that you find those pass times which serve to reinvigorate you best.

I love nothing more than heading off to the cinema to watch a great film on the big screen. Unfortunately I don’t have the time I had when I was at university. Back then I’d treat myself to a visit to The Cornerhouse after a session of research or revision at Manchester Central Library. Now I’m restricted to unexpected free evenings or the weekend. I’m more than happy to go to the cinema on my own but am always delighted when I can share the experience with a friend or two.

My love of cinema stems from childhood. My parents were avid film goers and I was dragged along even before I was potty trained. There is a rumour going round that once this event took place my knighted throne travelled with us to the cinema. But I’m not substantiating anything. After the film, on the drive home in the car, my parents would discuss what they loved about it, what they hated, who they thought had acted superbly and more. As soon as I could voice my opinion, I joined in these discussions. It is yet another treasured memory amongst a list of so many others.

I have ways and means of getting round the time constraints which prevent me from going to the cinema as often as I’d like. More often than not though, I'm going to watch something on TV. I'm unashamedly addicted to stuff on telly. I often watch reams of home and garden improvement shows as well as cooking programmes. New series I'm currently hooked on are: The Handmaid's Tale, Broken and Poldark. In April & May I was also drawn into the Crucible Snooker Championships and confess I was just a little bit addicted. And of course, Wimbledon kicks off soon.

Then there’s my Lovefilm account because I just love receiving those little red envelopes through the letter box. It’s like getting a present even when it’s not your birthday or Christmas.

If you're still searching for that one activity which suits you best then take a look at this. I did a little survey with the ALLi Facebook forum and this is a top 10 list of activities fellow writers find most enervating. As you can see from number 1, it turns out us writers are not as sedentary as people might think.

Exercise (Yoga, Pilates, Martial Arts, cycling, running, dancing, gardening, golf)
Getting out into nature (walks or horse rides in the countryside/on the beach)
Walks in parks or botanical gardens
Playing with and exercising pets (owned and borrowed)
Listening to music, audio books or podcasts
Meditation & mindfulness
Reading for pleasure
Watching TV or Film
Long distance driving
Painting or crafting

Guest Post: Creative Recharge

Lindsay Bamfield started writing fiction about 10 years ago. She has written a number of short stories and flash fiction pieces and has been published in Greenacre Writers Anthology , Voices from the Web 2012, The Best of Café Lit 2012, Mslexia, Writers’ News and Writing Magazine. She has won prizes in Writers’ News , Writing Magazine and Words with Jam competitions and has been shortlisted in others. She is currently re-working her first novel with advice from an editor and has a second novel on the back-burner. How do I recharge my writing batteries? I’m not sure I’m the right person to answer this as my batteries are still somewhat depleted after illness and debilitating treatment, but my writing activity, although still less than ideal has bounced back to some extent. It was only after being ill that I understood just how much energy writing requires. Exhaustion does not engender creativity. After a frustrating dry-spell when I wanted to writ...

Why I love living in Herne Hill

While chatting about current reads with my friend Bev, she mentioned how much she enjoyed reading Bill Bryson’s The Road to Little Dribbling . And how too it had made her think about the reasons she loves living in the UK. So, considering it a blog worthy idea, I asked her to write a guest post (to feature later this month). Now however, it’s my turn. My residency in the UK was totally unplanned. Back in 1987 my parents and I were all set to move to Canada where two aunts and an uncle live. But the Canadians decided not to grant us entry so hey presto, lucky old Britain got us instead. After our arrival we lived in a variety of areas: Edgware, Arsenal, Fulham and finally Herne Hill. But it is most definitely Herne Hill where I find I want to stay. When I’m on my travels it’s the place I get homesick for if things are not going according to plan on my journey. And why exactly is that? ONE I have 4, yes 4 parks in my...

#Amreading

So, it’s six months into this crazy Goodreads 100 book challenge I set myself and I’m happy to report that I'm now two books ahead. This is largely due to the fact I’ve also been reading children’s books at breakfast. Without this saving grace I believe I’d be whimpering in shame at this point. “But is this reading of children’s books thing allowed?” I hear you all asking. The simple answer to that is: YES As I work with children, primarily instructing them on how to improve their creative writing, it is only fitting that I check out the books deemed to be totally read WORTHY by the kids and also by those who reckon they’re in the know. It will come as no great shock to you that I have disagreed with the Know-It-Alls from time to time but NEVER with the kids. However, this post is not about that. What I would like to do now is give you a run down of the 5 books I’ve found most enjoyable thus far. You would assume there’d be at ...

Rae of Light

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