Comments on: Better Than Yesterday: Cordell, Grady, Merz & Reese on Writing & the Martial Arts

By: Tweets that mention Better Than Yesterday: Cordell, Grady, Merz & Reese on Writing & the Martial Arts « Booklife -- Topsy.com

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 19:46:06 +0000

[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Bruce Cordell, Bruce Cordell. Bruce Cordell said: Me (and other others, including @jennreese) on the intersection of writing and martial arts! http://bit.ly/ePT8fR […]

By: Diana Renn

Diana Renn — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 13:15:06 +0000

Great article; thanks for posting this. It's always so interesting to read about how other arts and physical activities affect writing. I do taiko drumming, which has some connection to martial arts. (Certain warm up exercises and vocalizations are borrowed from martial arts). Through taiko, I often make connections to my writing. Taiko is musical as well as athletic, and non-combative, but I can certainly relate to what Jenn says about focus, practice, and open-mindedness. Also, doing exercises and drumming in a dojo, in what we treat as a sacred space, has carried over to my writing mentality. I now try to view my home office as a kind of dojo, and am (usually) able to be more focused from the moment I walk in.

Diana Renn

By: Jon F. Merz

Jon F. Merz — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 10:18:39 +0000

Great article, Jeremy! Many thanks for including me in it. My next novel, The Kensei, focuses a lot on Lawson's pursuit of martial arts excellence in Japan. There are a lot more of my personal philosophies in it as it relates to the world at large.

Thanks again and have a great day!

-Jon