The Training Continues

My training runs and novel writing are hitting the rough patch at the same time.

In both cases, I am past the midpoint. In preparing for the 5k, I have eight more practice runs. In writing, I hit the 40,000 word mark on the same day as my hardest run yet. 20 minutes without walking. This was a leap forward from the last training run. In my novel, I have identified my ending, which is a milestone. Now I have fewer than 40,000 words to fill in the blanks. As I mentioned earlier, my character becomes a mechanic.

I have put off writing about her transformation under the hood for about as long as I can. Now I have to roll up my sleeves and get my hands dirty. I'm remembering what my friend said about running, "This fear is in your head." He was right. I told myself I had no other option but to run without stopping, so I ran. It was slow and probably not too pretty. I ran slow anyway, did not walk, and finished victorious.

I am approaching the writing the way I did the twenty-minute run: I'm going to type words and then type some more. I'm going to remember that the rough draft can be rough and keep typing.

This post is for me. I need to remember these words, so that frustration and anxiety don't sink in. I've come too far in my running shoes and at my laptop for that nonsense. Any chance these words can help you over some hump? I'd love to hear about it!