I’ve found a mental and physical exercise routine that has worked for me while writing the first draft of my new novel which I finished on Wednesday and celebrated as a significant landmark even though I know that there’s  plenty of work ahead on future drafts. The most important part of the routine was how I began each day. Before breakfast but after a glass of water, I go out into my garden and limber up for the day doing a series of martial arts exercises starting with the so-called Damo meditation exercises where I go through a series of muscle-stretching movements while strictly controling my breathing and precisely counting out each movement performed on the ‘magic’ number 9. Whether these exercises were actually invented by the Indian Buddhist monk Bodhidharma, or Damo (5th/6th Century AD) as he’s known in China, is still debated but Damo is credited as the founder of Zen Buddhism and, when he travelled to China’s Shaolin Temple, the founder too of traditional Kungfu. Far from being a Shaolin monk, I’m certainly benefiting from Damo’s teachings as they were passed on to me by Neil Johnson, my Kungfu Instructor here in Lewes (see White Crane Fighting Arts).

After completing the Damo exercises, I move on to practice the 66 movements of my Taichi form known as Suang-Yang which I call Taichi because it looks so similar but it is actually the ‘soft’ style of my White Crane Kungfu style that originated in Southern China. I’ve heard it called ‘Chinese Boxing’ and even though it looks lyrical and gentle in practice (when done by an expert – not me!), every move has a devastatingly effective martial purpose which all practitioners of this form are encouraged to visualise.

 After the calm but difficult Damo muscle stretching exercises and the equally demanding movements of Suang-Yang, I move on to the rather more aggressive and fiery  ‘hard’ style  by repeating all my Kungfu patterns (training patterns) three times hoping that, one day, I’ll get the foot positioning right instead of, as you can see here, taking too big a step. Believe it or not,  I do actually get this right every now and then.  There is so much to learn, I know.  In the meanwhile, I’m benefiting from practicing these complex movements that stretch me to my limits.

I finish my morning fitness routine with a series of Qigong exercises that also come from ancient China and can be described as a form of standing meditation where deep breathing and stylised fluid movements are supposed to circulate that mysterious thing known as ‘qi” (life energy) through the body.

Whether ‘qi’ exists or not, when I finish these movements and all the other exercises each morning,  I feel remarkably energised especially as my exotically perfumed roses have begun to flower.  I don’t know if Damo would approve but I’ve started to inhale  rose perfume between exercises.

 My poor man’s version of life in a Shaolin monastery garden over, I’m ready for breakfast and then I go up to my study to begin writing. It doesn’t make me a better writer doing this in the morning but I’m sure it brings out the best that I can do.

I take a number of breaks during the day usually involving coffee or tea but, before returning to the study, I do some more ‘Warrior’ training exercises, especially a set of pull-ups on my pull-up bar  over-looking the garden.

My blood and maybe my “qi” circulating again, I’m more than ready for morning coffee.

This might sound eccentric but, working from home and most of my day spent trying to pit my brain against my computer, I find this mix of exercise, controlled breathing and caffeine, the ideal way to get my brain moving. The first draft is  now complete and I’m taking a break from the new novel but I will keep up my martial art practice even when I’m away on holiday.

Oh yes, and when I’ve  needed another break while writing this draft,  I’ve listened to music and found that this has worked  piece, a new obsession for me, works best of all. The wonderful countertenor, Max Emanuel Cencic  singing  Pianta bella, pianta amata by Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751) from the album Veneziana. The perfect way to unscramble the brain when it’s on overdrive and, of course, to think of Italy:

The post Mixing writing and Kungfu works for me but I’m far from being a Shaolin monk. appeared first on Wolfie Wolfgang.

We’re not meant to enjoy undiluted pleasure very often in life and yesterday was no exception to that miserable truth. First the good news: I’ve finished the first draft of my new novel which is coming in at around 80,000 words. I will now put it aside while I get on with a batch of poetry events and submissions which have had to take a back seat while I was in prose writing mode. So, undiluted pleasure hit just where I like it. I hope to finish another draft at least before my first novel comes out in October.

So what was the sting? you ask, confused by the photograph above. Or maybe not so confused. Maybe you’ve guessed already. Yes, I mixed writing with washing and ended up putting a pair of shorts into the washing machine along with my iPhone. The shorts came out well but the phone, as far as I can tell, have given up the ghost.

That was yesterday, today will be dedicated to finding a replacement. Meanwhile, if you have my number,  it’s probably not worth ringing it.

The post It all came out in the wash. appeared first on Wolfie Wolfgang.

The writing goes on.  Sorry to pop in here so briefly again but I’ve just one chapter to write before finishing the first draft of a new novel. Tomorrow should get me to the end but until then I shall just have to keep my quill sharpened and inky.

No wonder writers are such a weird bunch. It’s sunny outside, and there’s a pub round the corner but I’m stuck in here writing another lousy book.

The post Wolfie – still frenzied after all these years appeared first on Wolfie Wolfgang.

As you can see, I’m frantically writing at the moment and today’s blog has got a bit over-looked. I’m  galloping towards the end of the first draft of a new novel – I should get there either tomorrow or the next day. It’s such a strange mix of feelings reaching this stage: relief, exhaustion, frustration, optimism, pessimism, mental fatigue and a wonderful sense of release. Hmm, I do love writing, honestly. After the first draft, straight into the second draft or, as I like to think of it, the first correction of the first draft.

Anyway, loyal readers, forgive this hasty blog, I’ve used enough words for one day. I’ll let you know how I get on.

The post Writing frenzy breaks out in Lewes. appeared first on Wolfie Wolfgang.