Posted by Sally Kilpatrick Feb 3 2012, 12:03 am in running, Sally Kilpatrick, Writing
As a college student I approached both running and writing in the same manner. Both were races to be won. Running was easier to keep up at first. I huffed and puffed behind my far more experienced roommates, ignoring my aching knees and burning lungs in the name of proving myself. No one told me to start slowly with a run-walk approach. They already knew what to do and could only point out the obvious: put one foot in front of the other. With writing, I wrote only those short stories assigned in my creative writing classes because I foolishly felt as though I didn’t know enough about life to write a novel. Writing was more intimidating because I’d been playing at it for so long. Suddenly, I felt I shouldn’t write at all unless I had something to say and a great chunk of time in which to put it down on paper.
Graduating from college meant time, more time than I had ever had before or since. I ran faithfully, increasing my speed and decreasing my time. I told myself to put up or shut up, and I sat down to write my first novel.
Life intervened, as it often does, with the need for a new job. That job, teaching, zapped me of the energy to run and of the will to write. Then my oldest came along. When I could fight off the urge to write no more, I sat down each Sunday and devoted a couple of hours each week to writing a novel. By hand. Running, I gave up.
When my youngest came and dashed all of my hopes for exercise and writing by steadfastly refusing to nap any more than humanly possible, I knew something had to give. I finally got smart. I did research. I learned about writing in chunks of time, using a timer as a guide. I learned to alternate running and walking to build up to the kind of endurance I had once achieved through youth and sheer force of will.
Last year I struggled to come into my own as I left behind a graduate degree and sent both kids to school for the first time but learned I didn’t have as much time as I thought I would. I learned to keep trying, to never give up. I did a little research on running and discovered some enlightening guidance:
- Use quick, easy strides that are low to the ground.
- Don’t power walk between running stints—it increases risk of energy.
- Just don’t stop.
I would translate those to
- Learn to write in short bursts and never feel as though you have to have two dedicated hours before you can even sit down to write. If you do that, you’ll spend all your time waiting and none of your time writing.
- Rest. Just don’t rest too long. Let your mind work on what’s going to happen next while you clean or exercise or run errands rather than sitting in front of your computer screen and stewing—or, worse yet, getting sucked into Farmville.
- Never give up. Never surrender. You’re never a failure until that day you refuse to put word to page ever again.
There’s a nasty hill on my usual route. I used to hyperventilate at the sight of a hill just as I used to get melodramatic at any rejection as a writer. Now I take them both in stride with short, light, patient strides with my eyes always ahead and my head held high.
Posted by Trish Milburn Jan 31 2012, 12:01 am in goals, Trish Milburn, weight loss, Writing
That sigh of relief you may have heard yesterday was me the moment I sent two books off to my editor. January was crazy with deadlines for me. I wrote two complete young adult books and revised them, and I revised my Harlequin Nocturne book that hopefully will be out next year. I had very [...]
Posted by Trish Milburn Jan 24 2012, 12:01 am in eating healthy, exercise, goals, Trish Milburn, weight loss, Writing
Some of you might have noticed that I flat out forgot to do my regular post here last Tuesday. That’s just one of the side effects of my crazy January full of pressing deadlines. The other — I’ve done abysmally on eating and exercise this month. I’ve made some good food choices and gotten a [...]
Posted by Trish Milburn Jan 3 2012, 12:01 am in motivation, Trish Milburn, Writing
Yesterday, I had my best writing day ever. 33 pages! It’s amazing what impending deadlines will do for productivity. And it’s just as amazing the high you get from big accomplishments. Now we often talk here about baby steps and not being too hard on ourselves while also not making excuses either. But sometimes, it [...]
Posted by Sally Kilpatrick Nov 18 2011, 12:03 am in family, fitness, goals, Sally Kilpatrick, Writing
I’ve only got a month or so before I start on my 2012 goals, so I thought I’d take a look at my 2011 goals: Writing Revise Beulah and submit to 50 editors and agents Write mortician story and submit to 4 contests Write 10k a week Beulah has been revised but only submitted [...]
Posted by Trish Milburn Nov 1 2011, 8:02 am in eating healthy, exercise, Trish Milburn, Writing
Somehow the first 10 months of the year have flown by yet again and it’s officially November. After January, it’s my least favorite month. The time changes, making it get dark so early. It’s cold. It seems interminably long. But this year, I’m going into November with a plan to make it through. 1. Exercise [...]
Posted by Trish Milburn Oct 6 2011, 12:01 am in food, guest blogger, weight loss, Writing
By Anju Gattani There’s a three-letter word that’s been the cause for hundreds and thousands of articles, posts and an entire fitness industry… F-A-T. It’s there on the body. It’s there in the writing. The diet industry alone in the U.S., according to Media Awareness Network, totals a staggering $100 billion a year. Then there’s [...]
Posted by Michelle Butler Oct 2 2011, 7:30 pm in inspiration, Michelle Butler, Michelle Mondays, Writing
Last week I mentioned how helpful Barbara Samuel’s voice workshop was at my last local writers’ meeting. What I did not mention was that I found her afternoon workshop on the heroine’s journey even more helpful. She gave me a new analytical tool to use when I think about a book’s structure and plot. Many [...]
Posted by Michelle Butler Sep 25 2011, 9:16 pm in fear, inspiration, Michelle Butler, Michelle Mondays, Writing
For years the one concept in the craft of writing that scared me the most was voice. It always sounded so mysterious and literary and out-of-my-league. I couldn’t wrap my mind around what it was much less how to figure out what my voice was and how to improve it. I started to calm down [...]
Posted by Michelle Butler Aug 29 2011, 1:58 am in exercise, inspiration, Michelle Butler, Michelle Mondays, process, Writing
Last week, I went on a fabulous writers’ retreat in West Virginia with friends Marjanna Bogan, Diane Gaston and Elise Hayes. I was excited about it and even posted on Facebook about leaving soon for the trip. I asked my friends to, “Wish us great productivity and creative breakthroughs.” This got me thinking about what one can [...]
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