Another Runner in the Night—197 Days until Dopey Challenge

Last night, I sat down to work on a scene in my novel, and it absorbed me, which is what I love about writing. Fictional worlds feel real to me, and the words describing the world I create are a kind of magic. A lot of artists and writers say they are merely transmitting stories and art from a muse, and I agree. Writing is magic, editing is skill.

The problem, though, was that I had to make a choice: Run or Write. A 45-minute run was on my schedule, and I didn’t have time to do both.

This is common for me, and the struggle is real, except when it’s not. Except when I remember that when I run, I often write. In my head, I mean. I’m not a circus act.

I ended up not running last night, and the 1,000 words I wrote in those 45 minutes moved the plot along in a surprising way. To make up for the change in my training, I forced Dolly to run with me on her morning walk.

Then, because I left my novel in a good spot last night, a great idea about the book came to mind while I ran. Running (walking, showering, or washing the dishes; any repetitive task) helps to boost creativity. Movement calls to the muse. Sitting doesn’t. When you’re stuck—get up!

I’m writing about this because I think very often when we think about time, we look at it is as an either/or, zero sum proposition. I either have time to write OR I have time to run. In fact, I think if you look at your goals and the way you want to spend your time, it’s likely that they can help each other, not cancel out each other.

My words of wisdom for the day are: Go be creative and athletic!