Exercise Your Write

Writing is hard. Like training for a marathon, it takes focus, time, and courage. At least two of those requirements are needed for me to get through even a brief writing session. That's not to forget the importance of discipline, talent, support, and resources as good tools for achieving any success. But those requirements are typically already met when one enters a gym or sits down to a blank screen.

Focus, time, and courage are needed even as my mind frantically searches for every correct word while my fingers move across the keyboard looking for the right letters. Usually time is the variable I can't seem to figure out. Focus and courage don't exactly come natural to me either. I have to work at it. The internet is a great distraction even if I'm doing research. And I still have to constantly stand-up to my internal critic who tries to tell me what I'm writing is horrible. See what I mean, writing is hard.

I've been watching the talented athletes competing in the 2016 Rio Olympics and I can't help but think of how many hours, setbacks, moments of self-doubt, and discouragements they had to overcome to get to where they are now. Their performances on the international stage have been beyond amazing, but nothing is more impressive than the stories of how they got to this point. I'm not even going to discuss my total admiration for the resilient Refugee athletes who have persevered even after everything they have witnessed and experienced.

And here I am just trying to finish a 80,000-100,000 word book. Perspective. That's another good tool to have when trying to accomplish any goal.

I'm not an Olympian (Well other than one glorious summer when I was twelve and competed in the AAU Junior Olympics in New Orleans), but I try to imitate the focus and discipline of athletes who know that one moment on a podium is worth a lifetime of blood, sweat, and tears.

I've started and stopped, rewrote and rewired my book for over two years. And there's a good chance it will take me much longer to finish. While I'm only half way through this rewrite, I have never felt more confident in the story and my ability to finish it and prepare it for the world. Much of that confidence stems from me knowing that every time I write I am strengthening my skills.

So I'll keep fighting for time, training my mind to focus, and look to my muses for the courage to keep going. Working hard is much better than the alternative.

Good luck and keep writing.