Interlochen: The Golden Ratio

The first 59 pages of my novel-in-progress are officially drafted! All that remains is writing the email to the kind literary person interested in my work and I should be able to exhale just in time for the weekend. Longtime readers of The Writing Life know I typically veer away from writing about writing unless it also happens to tell a good story. But the challenge I faced this month was too great not to blog about and, if readers can stand it, I have one more kernel of wisdom to share. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have discovered The Golden Ratio to drafting a novel:

The number of words written per day is directly equivalent to the number of calories consumed in excess of an 1800-calorie daily diet.

We all have our “things,” don’t we, and this month under pressure I made some delightfully culinary discoveries to get me through. Snacks and treats that proved particularly effective during this novel-drafting phase included:

Sound slightly unhealthy? Agreed. But I got the writing done, and now it’s time to amp up the workouts with a healthy dose of my favorite trainer, Jillian Michaels. I’m no movie or DVD junky, and readers know I prefer exercise outdoors any day of the week. But when time is of the essence and you’re trying to quickly undo something you very suddenly, um, gained, 30-Day Shred and 6-Week Six Pack on Amazon video streaming are my go-to lifesavers.

Time to click send and then click play…oh, and maybe celebrate with a little soy ice cream afterwards.