Writers Butt - an Explanation

2011 was a tough year for me health-wise. Without going into the details, I'll just give you my takeaway: Health matters. You don't understand quite how much until yours takes a vacation. Then it becomes your main focus. Your obsession. Your goal. Nothing like a compulsory blood-doping session in an open-backed hospital gown to bring that message home.

Lucky for me, one of my writing partners - Ginger Calem - is a fitness guru and personal trainer. I asked if she would be willing to come up with a program writers could follow - something that would fit into our busy - but often sedentary - days, strategies to protect our health by eating right and slipping more exercise into our established routines. Ginger graciously agreed to share her insight and expertise with the greater writing community. I, in turn, agreed to be her guinea pig. Our other writing partners committed to give it a try as well. And so Writers' Butt was born.

I'm really excited to share the result with you all. (This includes you, illustrators, readers, teachers, and librarians!) You can jump in by joining the conversation on twitter (following the #writersbutt hashtag), and by checking in to Ginger's blog on Wednesdays, where she will post health and exercise tips, creativity connections, and even recipes, perfect for busy writers and other desk-bound types. Within a couple of weeks, we'll have the facebook page up and running, and we can share stories of progress (and challenges) with each other. Together, we can make 2012 the healthiest year yet - one writer's butt at a time.