Strange Bedfellows
Just returned from the 20-mile ride in the snot-freezing wind (not that I had any snot or anything, I'm just saying). Clocked a comfortable 15 mph average, I wasn't in a hurry for anything today, for once. And I'm happy to report that there was only one attempt on my life by Nissan Guy, he cut right in front of me and immediately turned, so I almost broad-sided him. Guh.
It was kind of a moody ride. I'm finding that the strangest things happen on the bike. In fact, each discipline seems to have it's own brand of lesson to teach, but the bike is especially harsh, and I think that's because the training sessions are usually the longest. I started thinking about writing and how involved the whole process can be (btw - thanks to everyone who commented on yesterday's post! Much appreciated feedback).
I started to enthusiastically wonder about how to tweak the chapters I'm writing for flow, how to creatively begin and end sections of the book, but then something happened. It turned into wondering about how to deal with agents and publishers and proposal technique, and suddenly the wind picked up. The hills popped out of the ground, the Great Lakes Regional Nissan Guys Convention arrived, the road-kill tried to re-kill itself by jumping in front of my bike, and I realized that I'd given myself a headache from the vice lock of my teeth. I just want to write, I don't want to play politician with all of these people.
And then it occurred to me that writing is just like training, and training is just like any other goal. Nothing is achieved without time in the saddle, and nothing ever worth having is easy to achieve - so expect a hard ride.
This pre-writing preparation is a lot of work, but so is a 20-mile trek on a highway, and I didn't care about that part when I was excitedly thinking about writing. I didn't care about the hills or the suicidal road-kill, I was just riding my bike on a nice day.
So I suppose that's the trick, "mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." ~ Major Wm Curt Maples.
It was kind of a moody ride. I'm finding that the strangest things happen on the bike. In fact, each discipline seems to have it's own brand of lesson to teach, but the bike is especially harsh, and I think that's because the training sessions are usually the longest. I started thinking about writing and how involved the whole process can be (btw - thanks to everyone who commented on yesterday's post! Much appreciated feedback).
I started to enthusiastically wonder about how to tweak the chapters I'm writing for flow, how to creatively begin and end sections of the book, but then something happened. It turned into wondering about how to deal with agents and publishers and proposal technique, and suddenly the wind picked up. The hills popped out of the ground, the Great Lakes Regional Nissan Guys Convention arrived, the road-kill tried to re-kill itself by jumping in front of my bike, and I realized that I'd given myself a headache from the vice lock of my teeth. I just want to write, I don't want to play politician with all of these people.
And then it occurred to me that writing is just like training, and training is just like any other goal. Nothing is achieved without time in the saddle, and nothing ever worth having is easy to achieve - so expect a hard ride.
This pre-writing preparation is a lot of work, but so is a 20-mile trek on a highway, and I didn't care about that part when I was excitedly thinking about writing. I didn't care about the hills or the suicidal road-kill, I was just riding my bike on a nice day.
So I suppose that's the trick, "mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." ~ Major Wm Curt Maples.
posted by Wil at 10:20 AM
5 Comments:
It's always the hard work, and that's not a bad thing. Your writing inspires..keep it up.
I think I have started about 10,000 novels. Each one was going to be the one that got published. = )
Here is a website you might like to puruse
http://www.authorlink.com/
I find it offers a lot of info for anyone who would like to know what they're up against if trying to get published.
Yes...
Writing is like work and training. Hit it with all you've got. Put the same passion into writing that you put into your training. You won't miss.
Well, there might be a few flip turns where you introduce yourself to the bottom of the pool. But, hey... Life happens.
Peace and all good,
Kermit
Your comment about road kill reminded me of something I heard on a long ride not too long ago. I was kind of struggling up a hill along with my one of my riding buddies when a group of fast guys flew past us. As they did one of them yelled out "Road Kill."
When he first said it I honestly thought he was talking about this big fat guy huffing and puffing up that hill (me). In the end he wasn't, there actually was some road kill out in the road. :)
Good luck with your writing. A publisher would be a fool to not publish your works - you truly inspire us. Have you considered EBooks? The folks from RoadBikerider.com are looking for authors: http://www.roadbikerider.com/authors.htm
sorry i didn't get to comment on your excerpt from friday, but i didn't see it until today. i never get on the internet on the weekend. anyway, i thought it was very good. i like the basis of the book. there are so many people out there today that live for entitlement. they feel they are entitled to have success. that they don't need to work for it. they can see it, they can smell it, but they'll bitch and moan because they don't have it. i appreciate any effort that promotes the ideas of hard work and self accountability. and your book goes a step further, encouraging folks who have been trying, but perhaps have not been as successful as they would like, to keep at it. to let them know that it's ok to feel a little overburdened and overwhelmed once in a while. this is all part of the journey to happiness and self respect.
keep up the motivation - and keep giving us these teasers once in a while!
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