On Writing and Running
The Story of Scribble & Spark Bookworks
As I have watched my free time dwindle to almost non-existent over the past ten years, I have come to understand my own priorities much more clearly. As I look back, there are few vestiges of my previous existence (that is, pre-spouse and pre-kids) that I have managed to cling to as life has become more and more busy and more and more full. Really, there are just three: writing, running and driving a car with a manual transmission (no, I absolutely will not upgrade until that car catches on fire and explodes). Apparently, when stacked up against everything else, these are the things that I will absolutely box out for and protect. I guess they are the things that matter. Who knew?
The standard transmission in 90 minutes of rush hour commuter-hell traffic twice a day… that’s probably some weird personality quirk that deserves further attention, but for now, — it’s mine and I’m going to own it. But as for writing and running, these make sense and while they are both time-consuming hobbies that make my days sometimes too full, they are also life-preserving and are symbiotic to each other.
Not only do writing and running support each other (running clears my head, writing fills it back up again), but they have other similarities that, over the years, have become more and more obvious to me. They both require commitment to improve. If you neglect either, you need to spend some serious time getting back into shape. However, the you make them part of your day, the more they become a part of you.
My writing has taken off because of my running. My journey with running has taught me so much about myself: about commitment, about setting goals, and about embracing small accomplishments– even when I wanted to achieve more. These things are also true for writing, and the more I run/write, the easier it becomes and the more it becomes a part of me, a part of my day, a part of my mental health. They are good addictions to have.
My greatest lesson in running became the spark that launched my scribbles, and eventually, Scribble & Spark Bookworks. Over the years, I had accepted that my best running times were behind me. Being a college track star (ok, well, a college athlete… star is debatable), I knew how hard it was to get faster, particularly as the years ticked by. But, a few years back and on a whim, I was inspired to train for a marathon. I committed to a training regimen and the only goal I set for myself was a strict pledge not miss a workout. I wasn’t chasing a time, I wasn’t chasing a pace… I just committed to completing every workout. And two months into the training program, at the ripe old age of 33, I clocked the fastest half-marathon I have ever run in my life. I was older, I had arthritis, I had two kids, I had a full-time job. I became my own hero.
So what does this have to do with writing? Everything, because running and writing are pretty much one and the same. The day I discovered my secret super powers was the day I re-evaluated how I interpreted the world around me. I realized that I was capable of doing things that I had never before considered. If I was the best half-marathon runner I had ever been, perhaps I was the best writer I had ever been too. Perhaps I could write the novel that had been kicking around in my head for the past few years. Perhaps I could publish my own work and help others to do the same. Perhaps.
I launched my first series project and Scribble & Spark Bookworks with this perspective in mind. I committed to a timeline and I committed to a regimen of writing, editing, proofreading, editing, writing (kind of like a ladder, for those runners who are still reading). On the day my third kid was born, I committed to having my book off to my editor within 365 days. And, with a little help, a little running and a lot of coffee, I achieved this deadline with 12 minutes to spare. The rest is history, but the future is more scribbling and more sparks (just not the kind that will set my old car on fire).
Please join me as Scribble & Spark Bookworks journeys forward. I will use this blog to describe my experience in setting out in the indie world– what works, what doesn’t– and invite you to follow along, share your stories and grow the vibrant community of indy writers.
Until then, keep scribbling.
