The Writer’s Competition

Last night, one of my middle school students posted the following on her Facebook page: Running, it’s hard to understand in the beginning that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the voice inside you that wants to quit.

Thanks to a quick internet search I discovered the quote originated with Dr. George Sheehan who played a large role in the “running boom” of the 1970s. As I read through the quote again, I was struck at how true it is for writers as well. In the very beginning we’re struck with a bug. We can’t write long enough or fast enough. We envision great rewards without realizing just how many challenges we’re going to have to face first. It doesn’t take us very long for us to start puffing and wondering what we were thinking. In that moment we glean our first insight into just how difficult writing actually is and before long we join every other writer in history who questioned their abilities, their motives, and their resolve.

In the years since I started writing I’ve heard and expressed many of the same frustrations with how difficult the road to being published is. I’ve complained about the agents, editors, and publishers who guard the gates to the world of my dreams. I’ve picked up books and after reading a few pages wonder how the author was chosen over my own when my work was clearly superior. But worse is when I open the cover of a title by one of my favorite authors and think, I’ll never be able to write like this so why do I even bother?

Having people whose work I admire can serve as inspiration, but taken too far it becomes a liability. I tend to forget there was nothing magical about what they did to reach the top. They were (and are) simply individuals with a dream who refused to take their eyes off of their personal victory line. They realized they weren’t competing with anyone but the voice in their head that said to give up, and they refused.

I’ve revised Dr. Sheehan’s words and placed them on my quote board as a daily reminder to myself:

It’s very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other writers. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit.

As any seasoned runner will tell you, that competition never changes. They have to face and overcome that same little voice every time they take their mark. It’s no different with writers. Just as with racing, there are many writers striving towards the same goal and just as with the race there will be those who excel and break records, those who lag behind at first but finish strong with their heads held high. And then there will be those who become so fixated on how inadequate they are when compared to others, they will barely make it to the first bend before giving up and walking off the track listening to that little voice crowing, “I told you so!”

The question I have to decide for myself is: Which one of the racers am I?

Which one are you?

The Great Acorn War

No, this isn’t a forgotten squirrel stash…

it’s my secret ammo store so I can get back in action during the next skirmish.

I grew up in a small rural town in Southern Oregon. As a result, more often than not my only playmates were my four younger brothers and sisters. While that can sound kind of isolating to some, our modestly sized property afforded us with many enjoyable afternoons. In front of our home was a grove of trees where we would build thicket homes, behind us was a creek where we spent many a summer day swimming. Our bicycles were our noble steeds. Our radio flyer wagons became magic carpets. (Trust me, those things fly down hills and are incredibly fun to race!) And mom’s vegetable garden and fruit trees often were raided prior to a great quest.

Then came fall and the annual rain of acorns. For the life of me I can’t remember who threw the first “oak nut” as my cousin once called them. Perhaps it was dad just being funny and pegging one of us in the back. Maybe one of us got mad at the other and chucked the first thing that was handy but wouldn’t kill the person we were irked at. Whatever the inciting incident, it sparked a war that flames up again about this time of year. In fact, as I write this I’m flushed and out of breath from the first volley of the 2011 Great Acorn war. Over the years, my aim has improved and I hit my target (in this case my brother Matthew) more than I get pelted myself. Note to self: watch your back while exiting mom and dad’s house for the rest of the month.

The rules of engagement are quite simple: you have thirty seconds to gather as many acorns as you can fit into your hands and pockets, then run. You can duck around trees but you have to stay away from windows. Headshots are allowed, but the face is off limits. When you’re out of acorns, reload as fast as you can, but be aware — your opponent can still hit you if he or she still has ammo. And finally, the aim is to have fun, not to hurt anyone.

So what do acorn wars have to do with writing? First, stories like this aren’t unique to my family. By incorporating them into my fiction and non-fiction writing, I’m not only sharing a part of my life with my readers I’m inviting them to recall some of their own childhood experiences which in turn makes my story, real or imagined, more relatable. Second, getting up from the desk and acting like a kid for a little bit isn’t just fun, it helps work out tension in the body from sitting in one position for too long. Laughing, running, and enjoying nature allows us to forget about the scenes that have ground to a slow crawl. It enables us to clear our minds and look at problems from a different perspective. And it can spark a new idea to run with when you feel like you’ve exhausted all other avenues of thought.

So, put down the pen. Close the laptop. Grab a sweater with big pockets and ambush an unsuspecting loved one. Afterwards you can negotiate a ceasefire over a cup of spiced cider.  

Writers! To your marks!

Do you not know that in a race all runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 1 Cor. 9:24

I know. The Apostle Paul was speaking to the early church about their spiritual lives when he wrote this letter, but this verse has spoken to me in multiple ways lately. Especially this morning as I dragged myself out of my amazing, warm, and comfortable bed to meet my brother at a local park. We’ve been less active of late and decided it was time to change that.

Since graduating from college I’ve been more of a yoga/Pilates girl, though I used to run when I was younger. I’m not entirely sure what got me interested in running again. Maybe it was all the posts from friends on Facebook about preparing for various races. Perhaps the seed was planted when I was reading through Paul’s epistle the last time. Whatever the case, I decided I want to compete in a race myself, and the time to start training is now.

Like starting any new exercise regimen, the first day is always the most exciting. You have lofty goals. You’re starting a new adventure and you can almost taste your eventual victory. Then you hit the trail and realize just how out of shape you really are. You also realize just how physically and mentally demanding running really is.

For me, the greatest obstacle I face is in my mind. I visualize the distant finish line and am determined to reach it whatever the cost, but once my heart starts pounding and my breathing accelerates, if that finish line is still out of sight, all I can think about is “I’m getting tired,” “I’ll never make it,” and I come to a halt. This morning when I started feeling the strain, however, I remembered the advice from one of my running friends: Make short-term goals. Pick a point you can see and run to it, just before you reach it pick a point just a little further ahead and focus on that. When the goal is in sight and is your sole focus, you find you can run longer distances. The more often you stop, the harder it is to get going again.

I’ve found the same is true in my writing. When I first picked up my pen in college I was going to have my debut novel published by the time I was 23. It would be a series that would rival the most popular Young Adult fantasies. But as time progressed without a single acceptance letter showing up in my mailbox, I despaired and considered giving up.

I’ve since realized that while my dream is one I should continue striving for, I was trying to run a marathon when I was barely ready for the hundred-yard dash. I needed to be training, which I’ve done by reading books on writing and through my time working my way through my Apprenticeship, Journeyman, and Craftsman courses in the Christian Writers Guild. I also set about making smaller more manageable goals.

In the past year I’ve had the privilege of seeing several articles and short stories published. The encouragement from that mixed with the feedback I’ve received from readers has inspired me to run a little further. I make a goal for myself each week now; sometimes I reach it, sometimes I don’t. But I’m focusing. I’m training. And I’m becoming a stronger writer as a result.

I didn’t make it as far along the trail this morning as I would have liked, but I did go further than I thought I could. In that, today served as a perfect reminder that the key to succeeding isn’t so much my physical ability; it’s overcoming the battle in my mind. I have to force myself to focus in the beginning, but once I find my pace I find the drive to continue.

I want to encourage you to do the same. Make short-term goals to go along with your long-term dream. Post a blog piece on a friend’s site if you don’t have one of your own. Write a human-interest piece for your local paper. Stretch those muscles. Push yourself to go a little longer, a little further between writing breaks than you did the day before. And never lose sight of the finish line.

Writers! To your marks!

–Jen