A runner's guide to writing

I've been writing a lot of words lately. Maybe bad words. I'm not letting myself go back to agonize check over what I've written until I've finished with the project. I've started a little bit early for NaNoWriMo with the hopes that by the time November comes around I'll be in the proper mindset for such an undertaking. I've also begun working on a new novel. I'm not giving up on the one I had been working on. It's just that she and I have not been getting along so well lately, and we both need some space.

Anyway, this new novel I'm working on is taking shape a lot quicker than anything I've written recently. I've only been working on it for a few days, and it already has more pages than I sometimes write in a few weeks. I think this is in part due to the fact that I've stolen a trick I use while running - I lie to myself.

When running, it's sometimes difficult to stay motivated to keep going. Often the body reacts negatively. "Why are we doing this?" It might ask. "We should stop. We're missing the Price is Right."

I try to keep my body at bay by picking out some arbitrary benchmark. "We'll stop when we get to the next corner," or "We'll go until the end of this song," or "Let's at least keep at it until we start sweating." Then, once I've reached that benchmark and my body is woooooohoooooooing I string it along a bit more. "Well, since we've made it this far, let's see if we can make it to the school just down the street."

"Oh, all right."

I've been doing that with my writing. I sit down and think, "I'm going to write 500 words." Then, once I reach 500 words I say, "Just another hundred." And I keep justanotherhundreding my way to two or three thousand words in a sitting. Which for me is really good.

Now if only I were confident that the writing was good as well. . .

I'm grateful for creamy peanut butter (20).