For All You Writers Out There

Writing is a Marathon, not a 5k.

Marathon definition: 
a long-lasting or difficult task or operation of a specific kind. 

Today I'm going to be paralleling writing to running. But first, lets talk running.

Jogging in races is one of my families hobbies. Me? Personally, I have a love/hate relationship with jogging. You see, it's awful. Sometimes you feel like you can't get enough air and your lungs are going to burst, or you overheat, or you push yourself so hard you end up barfing, or the hill feels like mount Everest... yeah, you get the point.)

Jogging takes endurance and I am very-much-so a sprinter. I don't like jogging, but at the same time, I like the feeling of accomplishment when the race is over or when the miles are completed. I like the moments in the races when you scream your head off cheering for your family. Jogging has its highs and it has its lows, but after each run, you get stronger. 

As writers, we have these same highs and lows.
We go through seasons where the words can't flow fast enough. We fly through page after page, penning literary art. Writing makes you feel alive and you find yourself more and more with each word. You look back at all that you have accomplished, and writing is truly a joy.

Then there are seasons where we seem stuck. Writers block comes up out of nowhere. Staying consistent and writing each day is like pulling teeth. The words don't fit the story, and you feel like there is no purpose for spending time on something that isn't very good. Doubt kicks in, and it feels like you are fighting a uphill battle.

We have all been on this rollercoaster of a writers life. We know what it feels like to write something brilliant, we're on top of the world. Then those other days, maybe we feel like we have hit rock bottom and we procrastinate more than we are productive.

When my family has a big race coming up, we try to get out and jog to train for that race. Sometimes we don't train as much as we should. Training is crucial because you can't expect your body to just wake up one day and run a marathon. You have to start from the ground up. Start small, something manageable. The longest race I have done was our triathlon. And we trained for months for it. (I won't go into details here, but on one of the practice race we realized just how important preparation was...)

As with running, we must train ourselves and prepare for our writing ventures. We can't wake up one morning and expect to have written a best selling novel. That's just not realistic. We must start small: one sentence at a time. One word sprint has potential to turn into a marathon, maybe a whole book series!

Writing is not for the faint of heart, writing requires someone who will stick with it through both the highs of writing and the lows. Someone willing to stay consistent, persevere through the rough drafts. Someone who sees the typos as opportunity to polish the beautiful story inside. 

In order to get to the finish line of a race, you have to take each and every step through the miles. In order to write a book, you have to write each and every word through the chapters.

So I encourage you, whether you are new to writing or a seasoned author: keep writing. Don't give up on the stories God has placed on your heart to write. Writing is a marathon, it's a skill that takes time to cultivate. Don't give up on something that is going to be so worth it in the end.

Thanks for reading this post! 

Lmk in the comments below if you would like to see more writing related content here on the blog! Tell me, have you had similar experience with being a writer? Have a blessed day! 

Many Blessings

Brooklyne Elysse