Writing v. Running

Writing is a lot like running. They’re both a lot of hard work.

Running: I have to self-motivate myself to get out there and put one foot after the other and I can't let myself stop when I'm tired. I have to work at doing a little more every day--if I want to improve.

It’s the same with writing. I have to sit down and put the pen to the paper – or (more truthfully) my fingers to the keyboard.

It’s so easy to find excuses not to do it. It being running and/or writing. It's a simple thing to stay home and curl up with a good book or turn on the tube to watch a movie but instead I strap on my running shoes and get outside (in that good old—cold--Portland rain) to climb those hills, run those miles, and prepare for the upcoming race.

Writing: I have to walk away from reading that book, turn off the t.v., and sit down at the computer, if I want to get my own words down on the page and not just read the ones someone else has written.

Writing and Running: You have to put in time, energy and work, if you want to improve.

Running: I can’t just go outside and expect to run a marathon…of course I can work toward it. Improving my pace, endurance and cardiovascular ability, come with time, exercise, and strength. And I am working hard to get stronger--a little more every day.

Writing: I can’t expect to write the next great novel – not without putting in time, energy, and effort to perfect my craft. And, I have to work at dialogue, character development, tense, pacing, and plot.

Both, Running and Writing: are a lot of hard work. But, they are also fun, rewarding and energizing.

I love to feel the light drizzle on a cool day as I make it to the top of a hill I haven’t been able to climb before. And, I want to do a little dance with every chapter I finish.

Mom always used to tell me, “Anything worth having, is worth working for.”

I'm working at them both: Writing and Running.