In March of 2011 I started
jogging. Despite the occasional illness, injury, and ‘I don’t wanna,’ I’m still
getting out regularly (at least when it's not too hot). On one long and rather tedious solo run, I started
making connections between jogging and writing and life. I'm sharing them in honor of National Women's Health & Fitness Week (the last week in September). See some interesting facts here.
Get Some Running Buddies
It helps to have inspiration. I started jogging with a Couch to 5K group that met twice a week.
Having the regular schedule kept us on track. The program helped us pace
ourselves, starting with short runs and frequent walks, and working up to a 45
minute run. We also had an experienced leader to offer advice.
Several of us continued running together after the program
ended. I wouldn’t get out there as often if people weren’t waiting for me. I’d
be tempted to stop early, if I didn’t have the encouragement of the group. Hey,
peer pressure is powerful! You might as well make it work for you. Plus, it’s
more fun to run with other people.
For writers, it’s important to find the right peer group for
your needs. For many, this is a critique group. They may be large or small,
meet in person or online, have open or closed membership, get together weekly
or monthly or as needed. Finding a group that suits your needs is invaluable.
Other writers share goals and deadlines, checking in with a
friend daily or weekly to report progress. There’s that peer pressure again!
Even a non-writing friend can help hold you accountable. (But choose carefully.
You don't need someone pressuring you to finish your novel in six months or run
a seven-minute mile.)
Finally, social groups can provide camaraderie and
networking. I live in a small town with a science and engineering college; I
know far more computer geeks than writers. But by making monthly trips to
Albuquerque to attend a writing meeting, I’ve made many friends who understand
what I do. I’ve also made connections by teaching workshops and guest speaking
for groups like Sisters in Crime.
For those who can’t attend in person (or all of us during the pandemic), online
discussion boards, listserves, and online classes offer information and a sense
of connection. The New Mexico SCBWI group of children's book writers and illustrators has a weekly online "coffee chat" which has been fantastic for keeping in touch. Another writing friend started inviting people to occasional evening chats – "the folks I would grab at a conference to go out for drinks."
Jog - and Write - for Distance, Not Speed
It really is about the journey, not how fast you get there.
Pace yourself, and enjoy the journey, or you might burn out along the way. If
you can see the end, or at least imagine the cheering crowds and free food, it
might give you the extra boost you need to keep going. But take time to enjoy
the sights, and the experience will be a lot more fun.
As a writer, don’t focus so much on the response to your
query letters. Sure, celebrate successes, and try to learn from
disappointments, but put most of your energy into enjoying the journey. (That
works for the rest of life, too.)
But Keep Moving Your Feet (or Fingers)
A slow pace may get you there, but if you have a long way to
go, you might as well do it running. A marathon will take a lot longer at a
stroll than at a jog, even a slow jog. Run when you can, walk when you need a
rest, but keep moving. That’s the only way to reach the end.
Take the time you need to learn and practice your writing
craft. Do as many drafts as you need to polish your novel. Don’t rush, but do
keep working. Write a page a day, and you’ll have a complete draft in a year.
It may not be perfect, but it will be more than what you started with.
Practice Makes Perfect, or At
Least Lessens the Pain
If you’re training, you need to get out regularly. Running
once a month will just leave you sore and frustrated each time, and you won’t
see any progress in your fitness.
It’s the same with writing. Establishing habits and sticking
to them will keep your mind fit. Writing several times a week will hone your
skills and make it easier to get started next time.
Beware of Shortcuts
If I map out a 5K run, but take every shortcut, that could
cut the distance down to 3 ½K. Easier, sure, but that won’t prepare me for
running a 10K. It’s the same with life. Whether you’re trying to switch
careers, meet the right partner, or finish a novel, some shortcuts may help,
but others may do more harm than good.
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See Chris’s website
for info on classes:
Advanced Plotting;
Educational Publishing;
and You Can Write for Children, plus
developmental editing rates/recs. |
I work with a lot of writing students. The beginners want to
know if they’ll get published after taking one course. Nobody wants to spend 10
years learning how to write, but you need to do the work in order to earn the
reward at the end. If you beg your friend to send your rough draft to her
editor, you’ll blow your chance to make the best use of that connection. If you
self publish your work before it’s ready, you’ll waste time that could be
better spent working on your craft.
Sometimes the long, hard path is the only one that gets you
where you want to go.
Whether Running or Writing, Push Yourself Sometimes
With enough practice, you should get better. When I started
jogging, it was a struggle to go for 10 minutes without a break. Six months later,
I could make it through 45 minutes without stopping.
And then I plateaued. Jogging had become comfortable, if not
easy. Why cause more pain by trying to go farther or faster?
Because that’s the only way to get better. And most likely,
it’s the only way to stay interested. Fortunately, one of my jogging partners was great about coming up with new workouts. We added in some sprints one day, did hills another day. We chose different routes on different terrains. Variety
keeps it interesting, which makes it easier to work hard.
With my writing, I find that I get bored if I become too
comfortable with something. After publishing a dozen children’s books as Chris Eboch, I wanted a change. I started
writing romantic suspense for adults, using the
name Kris Bock. This brought new
challenges – writing books two or three times as long as what I was used to,
exploring romantic subplots, delving deeper into character. I didn’t always get
things right the first time, but I became a better writer – and I renewed my
interest in writing.
Kris Bock
writes romance, mystery, and suspense. In the Accidental Detective series, a witty journalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles the challenges of turning fifty.
Kris writes a series with her brother, scriptwriter Douglas J Eboch, who wrote the original screenplay for the movie Sweet Home Alabama. The Felony Melanie series follows the crazy antics of Melanie, Jake, and their friends a decade before the events of the movie. Visit the Amazon US series page or the B&N page for Felony Melanie: Sweet Home Alabama romantic comedy novels or find the books at other E-book retailers.
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