If you’ve ever sat in on a novel writing workshop, you’ve probably heard the advice: “Writing a novel isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon.”
As of a couple weeks ago my wife and I have run the (extremely hilly) Baltimore Marathon three times, and I recently started the third draft of my second novel. With each draft I write, and each race I run, it only becomes clearer that these two activities have even more in common than these advice-givers realize.
1) Break Your Goals Up Into Manageable Pieces
When you begin writing a novel you shouldn’t go into it thinking “Man, I have to write eighty-thousand words!” Instead think, “Okay, I have to write a two thousand word chapter.” Then when that chapter is done it’s, “Cool, now I just have to move on to the next two thousand words.” Similarly, when you start training for a marathon, don’t obsess over the twenty-six miles. Focus on the three miles you’re running today and then the four miles you’re running tomorrow. You’ll slowly work your way up from there, tackling each challenge until you reach your goal.
2) Use A Schedule
If someone had said, “Okay Mike, go train for a marathon!” I’d still be running two mile laps around my neighborhood. I didn’t really start tackling the longer runs until my wife showed me Hal Higdon’s Marathon Running Schedule. We just took each day one at a time, following the schedule which told us how far we were running next (of course we had to make some adjustments based on our own lives). Similarly, writing groups like NaNoWriMo can help you form a writing schedule. Or you can set yourself up with a writing calendar, where you give yourself a (realistic) goal each day over the course of a few weeks/months. Having a guide will give you a concrete direction to go in so you don’t find yourself flailing about.
3) Use A Community
My wife and I trained together for 80% of our runs. For people who don’t have an in-person running partner there’s a whole online community of runners out there who would be more than happy to give you encouragement. Likewise, there are TONS of writing communities. I’ve already mentioned NaNoWriMo. Personally, I also use the Bethesda Writers Center and the Maryland Writers Association (who just had their amazing From Brain to Bookshelf Conference). Look into your city to check out what communities you can find that can offer guidance and help you out when you stumble.
4) It’s Healthy… sort of.
Running an actual marathon probably isn’t the healthiest thing you can do . Personally, any distance after sixteen miles feels like I’m damaging my body. Other people who are tougher than me (like my wife) have said this line is drawn at eighteen or twenty-one miles. However, pushing yourself to get regular exercise is healthy. Similarly, writing a novel is also a healthy activity. You’re tackling a hefty challenge, you learn new things about yourself, people in general and whatever topics you research. Also, like running, writing can exhaust you so make sure you….
5) Reward Yourself
Sundays were our long run days. After running 15…17…20 miles, there isn’t a whole lot you want to do for the rest of you day but eat Chipotle and watch guilty pleasure movies. Therefore you should eat Chipotle and watch guilty pleasure movies! If you feel guilty/lazy remind yourself “I just ran seventeen @#$%ing miles!” Similarly, when you reach big milestones in your novel writing or editing get ice cream or buy that graphic novel you’ve had your eye on (from your local comic book store, please) You accomplished something, now pat yourself on the back.
Bonus: Exercise Beats Writer’s Block
I can’t write a post about running and novel writing without pointing out that exercise is one of the best ways to beat writers block. Over these past couple years I’ve had the opportunity to lead a number of Creative Writing classes and one of the number one questions is “How do you overcome writer’s block?” I’ve already written one post on this, but I just want to drop a little reminder here that sometimes all you need to do is step away from a project and get a bit of exercise. I don’t mean marathon training. I just mean take a walk around the block or lift some weights for a couple minutes. Very often that’s all it takes to get out of a rut and get the creative juices flowing again.
