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The Healthy Writer: Reduce your pain, improve your health, and build a writing career for the long term (Creative Business Books for Writers and Authors) Kindle Edition

by Joanna Penn (Author), Euan Lawson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.4 100 ratings

Part of: Creative Business Books for Writers and Authors (13 books)

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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!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Euan Lawson is a British medical doctor and a Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners. He's ex-British Army and enjoys fell running.

Joanna Penn is an award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thrillers under J.F.Penn and also writes non-fiction for authors. She's also a podcaster and an award-winning creative entrepreneur. Her site, TheCreativePenn.com has been voted in the Top 100 sites for writers by Writer's Digest.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0763XLK24
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Curl Up Press (December 28, 2017)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 28, 2017
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 892 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 332 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #1,022,263 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #159 in Work-Related Health
- #534 in Exercise & Fitness Injury Prevention
- #1,012 in Authorship

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4.4 100 ratings

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Euan Lawson
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Euan Lawson is an ex-British Army doctor and a Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners. He has an interest in addictions and he writes regularly on healthy habits. Euan lives in Cumbria, England with his wife and three children. He likes to get his fix of the outdoors by running across the fells with his sprocker spaniel, Minnie.
Connect with Euan at his website: www.euanlawson.com and download your FREE Healthy Bloke Action Plan. Or send a message on Twitter @euan_lawson.
While he can run up a hill or two and enjoy a triathlon, he is contentedly resigned to the fact that the words chiseled and buff will never be used to describe him. He still eats too many crisps. Not everything in life can be subjected to a randomized controlled trial but he likes to take an evidence-based approach to health. He is keen to help normal men get a little fitter and live a happier, healthier life.
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Joanna Penn
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Joanna Penn writes non-fiction for authors and is an award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller, dark fantasy, crime, and horror author as J.F. Penn.
She’s also an award-winning podcaster, creative entrepreneur, and international professional speaker. www.TheCreativePenn.com
Check out Jo's Podcast for Writers: The Creative Penn Podcast
You can get a free Author 2.0 Blueprint ebook and video series at www.TheCreativePenn.com/blueprint
Jo lives in Bath, England with her husband and two British Shorthair cats, Cashew and Noisette (often featured on Instagram @jfpennauthor ). She enjoys a nice G&T (Hendricks, or any local gin).
Jo is also a travel junkie, weaving her adventures into her fiction and travel memoir and podcasting at www.BooksAndTravel.page
See more on the author's page

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4.4 out of 5

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Leunamme

Super useful!

Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2023

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Ive been following Joanna since 2015 and this book really surprised me. I struggled with lots of the Issues mentioned in the book, specially lack of sleep, low back pain. There were moments when I thought I was the only one struggling! Thanks for this book!

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Nancy O'Toole

An Informative Overview of the Common Health Problems Facing Writers Every Day

Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2018

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The Healthy Writer, by Joanna Penn and Dr. Euan Lawson is all about health-related problems that writers can face. This runs the gamut from physical ailments such as eyestrain and weight gain, to more psychological issues including loneliness and depression.

As a writer myself, I know I found a lot of these topics to be incredibly relatable. Back pain? Not getting enough exercise? I’ve so been there. And so have many others. One of my favorite parts of the book is all the personal stories it contains. While writing The Healthy Writer, the authors sent out a survey asking people to share their personal health struggles and triumphs. The book then intersplices quotes from this survey throughout each chapter. Reading through these experiences, as well as Joanna and Euan’s own personal narratives, really made me feel as if I wasn’t alone.

The Healthy Writer, as you may have guessed from the wide variety of subjects covered, is more of a general overview than a deep dive into specific topics. Yes, certain chapters, such as the one on setting up your workstation to prevent RSI, do go into more detail. But others provide more general advice, such as trying out yoga to treat back pain. This means that if you have a specific problem you’re looking to tackle, you may need to look further than just this book (maybe even to your doctor). The writers do make sure to provide further resources in each chapter, from books to smart phone aps.

In addition, because this is an overview, a lot of advice presented here can feel pretty obvious. But given the amount of people (myself included) that need to eat healthier, and spend more time moving, I don’t think that retreading the basics is necessarily a bad idea.

More than anything else, The Healthy Writer is a good wake up call, a gentle reminder that while we may spend most of our time in our own heads, creating stories and writing words, that our bodies are important too. And it’s only by taking care of ourselves can we hope to have a long and happy career.

4 people found this helpful

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Kate Gordon

Commonsense that we need to hear

Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2018

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In many ways there's nothing earth-shattering in this book from Joanna Penn and Euan Lawson, but that doesn't mean I didn't need to read it and - most importantly - take action!
For many of us, writing means sitting on our backside for hours. It's simply not good for us - physically or mentally. My hips are aching as I write this because I've been writing in bed on my laptop for a couple of hours, so getting up and MOVING is going to help me in so many ways.
That's the simple and important message that Euan and Joanna share. They each move in different ways, and they urge us to find the ways that we like to move. The benefits to their writing and creativity are inspiring to read. I know it, I've experienced it and now I just need to put it into practice on a regular basis. Do I want to be an aching, overweight writer for the rest of my life? No, I do not. And this book helps with many resources and ideas to help me be the healthiest and most productive writer I can. Time to move!

One person found this helpful

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MMF

Informative and easy read. Every writer should own as a reference.

Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2018

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Joanna Penn and Dr. Lawson do a great job of discussing the difficulties and negative consequences of hours spent writing. While they start the book off with the positives a writing career can offer one's health, the bulk of the book addresses the mental and physical challenges. The chapter headings make it easy to find chapters addressing particular concerns (gaining weight, repetitive use injury, etc.), Many of the chapters end with questions so a reader can assess how they are doing in specific areas. Many chapters also end with a listing of resources related to the topic covered. It's a practical book and really one every writer, or anyone who spends hours on a computer, should own as a reference. But it's also a pleasant read written in an informal, informative style. As a writer, I've thought of many of the issues covered in The Healthy Writer. Reading Joanna Penn's and Euan Lawson's take on it let me know I'm not alone and outlined what might be helpful.

3 people found this helpful

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Kate M. Colby

Finally - a health-focused book just for writers!

Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2018

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As always, Joanna Penn (this time with co-writer Dr. Euan Lawson) has delivered an informative, helpful, and inspiring book for authors. While much of the health advice inside is either common sense or information that writers likely have heard before, Penn and Dr. Lawson explain the medical aspects clearly, share anecdotes from their own health journeys, and offer simple, actionable advice that applies specifically to writers. Beyond physical health, they also dive into emotional and psychological well-being, which are so often overlooked by similar books. After reading The Healthy Writer, I feel less alone with some of my health concerns and have the tools I need to improve my writing workspace and develop healthier habits. Recommended for fans of Penn's other nonfiction titles and for any writer (or even individuals in office jobs) who have felt the negative physical/emotional effects of a sedentary career and want to improve their health.

3 people found this helpful

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Puspanjalee Das Dutta

Awesome experience

Reviewed in India on January 2, 2022

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I learned and get lot of good suggestions from this book. Joanna has done important compilation . It is inspiring.

tkassotis

A World of Help in Here!

Reviewed in Canada on December 15, 2018

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Great information in the book. Useful and practical and very professional.
I listened to it on audiobook first and then bought the book so I'd have a desktop reference because I need to return to the information weekly; the healthy practice reminders mostly.
I recommend this for anyone who works at a desk all day.

Kev Partner

Superb guide to being healthy as an author - should be on every writer's bookshelf

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 4, 2018

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This could so easily have been a bland, holier-than-thou kind of book begging to be skim-read and never looked at again. What makes it a cut above the rest is that both authors, but particularly Joanna, are candid about their own various struggles with being healthy and neither claims to be a paragon now.
Joanna Penn is a successful writer of both fiction and non-fiction having been a pioneer of indie publishing. As I read her very personal accounts of her health struggles, and those of her husband (who also deserves thanks and praise for allowing his experience to be included), I felt that what the book has to say resonated so much more with me. Her "Letter to Sugar" brought a lump to the throat of even cynical old me - and very little gets through my defences!
Euan Lawson, British GP and co-author, is a refreshingly open kind of a doctor - he readily accepts that science doesn't yet have all the answers, particularly when it comes to diet (except when it comes to sugar).
The book begins by setting the scene - looking at all the reasons why writing is good for us and then listing the challenges. Euan's description of back pain hit a chord with me and Joanna's account of her challenges with food also hit the nail on the head. The second part of the book gives practical suggestions for counteracting the sedentary life. As they acknowledge, this isn't rocket science, but it's very useful to see it applied specifically to writers and to have it all together. My only criticism is that I felt the book could have been longer - I got to the end of some of the chapters wanting to know more. There are links for further reading, but I was enjoying the way the information was being presented and could have done with a little more depth.
Overall, though, the book is wonderful - not least because it helps reassure me that the struggles I have with exercise and diet (in particular) are common and also that the actions I'd already taken (standing desk, more walking, cutting carbs) are the right ones.
This should be read by anyone embarking on a career in writing - or any desk job.

3 people found this helpful

Jackie McC

Common-sense tips we can all apply

Reviewed in Australia on January 2, 2019

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The Healthy Writer pointed out common health issues that writers face, and many practical ways of overcoming them. I particularly enjoyed the section on dictation and hope to make this a part of my routine. We already spend so much time in front of screens, and need to get away from the dreaded ‘blue light.’ The section on mental health was also inspiring and reminded me that I already know the strategies to stay creative, it’s just a matter of allowing for time off. Resting is very important! Pick up this book if you are stressed, tired or in pain. And be kind to yourself.

T.L. Dyer

Healthy body, healthy mind, healthy career!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 7, 2018

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I'm in the early stages of my writing career, and whilst I don't have any significant health problems, I was aware of a few niggling aspects of my lifestyle that could potentially become problematic to my health over time. In light of this, I ordered Joanna and Euan's book half expecting that it wouldn't really relate to me that much. But I was wrong! A wonderfully easy-to-read book, I actually couldn't put down until I'd finished (which is unusual for me and non-fiction). Whilst chronic pain is discussed and is relevant only to those who suffer with it, there were so many other issues of health which we are all likely to have had - or will have - if we live and work long-term at a job that is considered sedentary/desk-bound. I recognised a number of potential pitfalls I could find myself falling into if I don't pay attention to the way I work and how that could have an impact on my health eventually. Writing is a lifestyle as much as a job (we do it because we love it) - and Joanna and Euan offer loads of great advice and suggestions on how to maintain your health so that you can carry on doing what you love.

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The Healthy Writer: Reduce your pain, improve your health, and build a writing career for the long term (Creative Business Books for Writers and Authors) Kindle Edition

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