Featured Writer on Wellness: Audrey Wick

Writers face many challenges,
including rejection of their work on the path to publication.

I wrote four full-length manuscripts before securing a contract, and, even though it was part of the process, each rejection stung.

Still, I used the feedback I received to make my writing better, even little tips like when an agent told me that having a heroine and hero with names that started with the same letter in the alphabet was bothersome.

I learned to detach myself from my work in order to improve it, and I am glad I persisted to meet my goal of publication.

Writers: Use Rejection as a Reason to Keep Going

I have used rejection as a reason to keep going.

When one agent or editor said “no,” it fueled me to try another. Speaking with other writers and also celebrating small successes was encouraging as well.

Then, celebrating those small successes eventually led me to bigger ones. Writers should never forget to celebrate when they meet a goal.

How Pilates and Writing Go Together

In order to stay well, I practice a steady diet of writing and exercising. I balance the heavy mental lifting of story creation with plenty of exercise breaks, including Pilates.

In 2003, I started full-time teaching at Blinn College, a two-year college in Texas. Several years later, the campus on which I taught needed a fitness instructor, and my supervisor encouraged me to give it some thought since I was young, fit, and already on the college’s payroll. She asked what fitness activity I would be interested in teaching.

My answer: Pilates.

No matter that our college had no Pilates course.

Since the class would be a credit-level course for students, I needed to design a schedule, create a syllabus, complete a course approval process, and even choose a textbook. In the process, I also obtained certification so that I could be the fitness instructor of record.

At a college of nearly 20,000 students, I was the only instructor to offer Pilates, a point of personal pride. I did so in addition to teach five English courses a semester.

Often, there would be overlap in my students. Some of my writing students would take Pilates in the same semester, and other times students’ experiences in one class would create a comfort level with me as an instructor that would prompt them to take the other class.

I joked with my students about the fusion of the two, but the reality was that they offered a wonderful complement. Both exercising and writing can be solitary experiences, but when there is connectivity through a community of like-minded individuals, the joys and successes of each discipline are magnified.

For instance, when my students wrote essays, they did so by themselves—but having them bring their works-in-progress to class and walking them through the process of individual or group editing was an empowering experience.

Similarly, my Pilates students experienced this. Holding poses and pushing their bodies’ limits in a group setting allowed my students to challenge themselves in ways they likely would not have done if they had been exercising alone.

I still teach writing full-time at Blinn College, but due to curriculum changes, my institution no longer offers Pilates. Still, my days of professor-as-coach have served me well since, away from the office, I continue to practice a steady diet of writing and exercising.

I balance the heavy mental lifting of story creation with plenty of exercise breaks, especially classic Pilates moves to keep my core strong and my body limber. Some of my favorite moves include The Hundred, The Roll Up, The Roll Over, The Shoulder Bridge, Scissors, and Rolling Like a Ball.

I Enjoy the Challenge of Balancing Teaching with Writing

I have always been a writing teacher who writes. Balancing writing and teaching is something I enjoy doing, and I know the work I do augments how I teach.

It’s important for me to stay in touch with the challenges of writing as my students face them, so as I work on projects, I am able to do that. Sometimes, the exact balance is tricky, but I enjoy the challenge.

Traveling Stimulates My Creativity

Being aware of what’s in the world keeps me creative. Also, traveling helps!

I especially enjoy international travel and have been fortunate to travel to over twenty countries.

When I can’t physically go to a place, I still love learning about it through a book. So whether I’m actually there or not, I use the experience to help my creativity.

I Find Inspiration Through Other Authors

Maybe this is just my optimism, but as frustrating as some part of the writing process can be, I can’t say that I’ve had an especially dark moment.

There are discouraging days when the words don’t flow or the editing doesn’t shape up well, but I just push through and try again.

I also find inspiration through others. One of my favorite authors is Sandra Cisneros, and I had a chance to meet her at Texas State University. I will remember that day always!

Biggest Triumph: Celebrating My First Book Release in My Hometown

I was able to celebrate my first book release in my hometown.

Family, friends, and booklovers came out to support me, and it was so encouraging to see how many people embraced my fiction writing. These pictures from the event are special to me.

Give Yourself Permission to Write

Giving myself permission to write has kept me on a writing path.

Carving out the time to do so is important, and doing so can take many forms.

For me, I can work on a writing project even when I’m not writing. I may outline a story in my head, imagine dialogue between characters, or plot a scene when I’m walking to the mailbox or putting away groceries.

Advice for a Young Writer: Stay Well

To write well, you have to be well.

That means taking care of your physical and emotional self. Only when those are balanced can you handle the mental heavy lifting of writing.

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Audrey Wick is a full-time professor of English at Blinn College in Texas. There, she is a writing teacher who writes, with two women’s fiction novels released from Tule Publishing in 2018. Her short-form writing has appeared in college textbooks published by Cengage Learning and W. W. Norton as well as in The Houston Chronicle, The Chicago Tribune, The Orlando Sentinel, and various literary journals.

Audrey is also a 2018 Key West Literary Seminar Teacher scholarship winner. Audrey believes the secret to happiness includes lifelong learning and good stories. But travel and coffee help. She has journeyed to over twenty countries—and sipped coffee at every one.

For more information on Audrey and her work, please see her website and her author page on Tule Publishing, or connect with her on Twitter and Instagram.

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As Paige makes a new life, can she find direction with Everett? Or has too much damage already been done to navigate a romantic relationship built on a lie?

Available at Tule Publishing, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and wherever books are sold.

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Available at Tule Publishing, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and wherever books are sold.