My youngest and a group of his pals decided to try out for the track team this spring. Despite having an uncle for a track coach, my knowledge of the sport is limited to whatever I happen to soak in during the summer Olympics and is quickly forgotten for four years until the next round.
I had a lot of fun watching my son and his teammates run this season. I still don’t know much about proper form or the rules of the relay hand off, but I did witness a lot that had me thinking about my writing.
Things I learned from my son’s track season that apply to the writing life:
Everyone who started finished
It didn’t matter how far behind the leader they were, everyone cheered until all the runners had crossed the finish line. I never once watched anyone not complete a race (okay, once, but she got hurt and couldn’t finish) no matter how far behind they were. They might not have won, but they finished. And that was a miraculous accomplishment to me. It would have been so easy to give up.
Writing a book is hard. Don’t give up just because someone you know happened to finish their race already. You can still finish.
And we’ll be here to cheer you on whenever you cross your finish line!
The fastest runner in the mile wasn’t the fastest runner in the sprint
Each runner had their own special skill set. A distance runner and a sprinter train differently, run differently, are fundamentally built differently. One isn’t necessarily better than another. They are just running different races.
Same goes for writers. Whether it’s different genres or styles, we are all writing our own books. And we all have different skills. Some may excel at pacing while others dialogue. It doesn’t make one better than another. Focus on making your skills shine.
Just like runners are running different races, writers are all writing different books. Write yours.
It’s still a team
Even though each race was an individual effort, the points were scored by the team. And for every race, the team cheered on those individuals, reminding them to push the last 100 meters in a distance race or scream their heads off during the sprints.
Writers need to be surrounded by a team of support as well. Find writers that you can chat with, swap pages with, learn from. Whether that’s in a professional organization or a critique group or a meet-up at the local library, writer friends will cheer you on and help you meet your goals. The bonus? You get to do the same for them. There is room for all of us. So find a team that lifts you up.
Practice and preparation make a difference
Our middle school doesn’t actually have a track. So it was painfully obvious at our first meet which kids had not participated in track before because the set-up of the races, the feel of the surface, all of it was foreign to them.
By the end of the season, with four meets under their belts and more weeks of practice, they were looking much more confident and really gaining some ground on the track.
The same goes for writers. I didn’t know how to write a novel when I sat down to start one. It took some mistakes, some practice, and some training to understand structure and become a better writer.
To get better at writing, we need to practice. Whether that’s journals or essays or writing prompts or new manuscripts, we need to flex our writing muscles in order to stay nimble for our stories.
Sometimes you need a water break
No matter how fast the runners were, they all needed water and a snack. Their bodies wouldn’t perform or recover well without the needed nutrition, rest, hydration, and cool down.
Don’t forget to nourish your writer self, too. A writer’s needs are remarkably similar. You need water; healthy snacks (and the occasional chocolate) to power your writing sessions; rest when you’re tired; stretching to keep your back, shoulders and wrists happy; and yes, you even need to move occasionally to get the blood pumping.
You can’t run at a full out sprint pace for the length of a marathon, and you can’t push out a novel length manuscript in five days. Give yourself the space and rest you need to write.
Personal records are the real measure
Only one person wins any given race. But everyone gets their time. And getting a PR, or personal record, was a big accomplishment. Each race was really about beating yourself rather than anyone else by trying to get a better time than the race before.
Writers should do the same.
It’s less about who got to the agent/publishing contract/NY Times best seller list first and more about whether your second draft is better than your first and your fifth is better than your fourth. Build your skills so that each draft and each manuscript gets stronger. Write your PR each time.
You are the only writer you’re trying to beat at the end of the day.
So take a lesson from my son’s middle school track coach: warm up, run your race, stay hydrated, and stretch.
You are your own best and worst competition. Keep writing. And I’ll see you at the finish line.
Featured photo by Jacky Watt on Unsplash
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