While writers and exercise may not seem the most natural combination, it’s interesting that some of the lessons I learned during the massive lifestyle change I underwent when I started trying to get fit, and many of the things I found helped or hindered me, could just as easily be applied to my writing.
You need to set yourself measurable, and realistic, goals
Often we have unrealistic expectations about how much weight we can lose overnight or that we will go from doing very little to suddenly running a marathon. We set ourselves up to fail, and when we do it’s easy to get discouraged and give up. We can give ourselves a much better chance of success by setting realistic goals, based on things we can control such as how many exercise sessions we will do in a week, rather than uncontrollable such as specific weight loss amounts or winning a race.
It’s the same with my writing. I can’t really control how many sales I make or awards I win, all I can do is set goals of how many words I want to write in a given week or specific markets that I want to target. Those are the goals that I can set for myself, that don’t depend on other people. If I fall short there is no one else to blame but myself.
Track your stats
The biggest factor for me when I have been successful at fitness or weight loss was almost obsessive calorie counting. I tracked what I ate and how many calories that added up to, and I tracked how many calories I burnt with exercise. It was a simple equation, if I burnt more calories than I took in, I would lose weight. I also tracked what I was doing in regards to exercise, how many hours a week, how many kilometres I ran or weights I lifted. It gave me a measurement of where I was, and set a goal of where I wanted to get to.
With my writing I do something similar. I track how many words I write and how many submissions I am making. This allows me to keep track of how I am going. Am I making progress? Am I letting my writing slide? It is a hugely beneficial practice. I am not a naturally organised person so I do struggle at times, but there are lots of tools out there to help.
You need to measure your progress
There is only one way to know if you are getting anywhere and that is to track your progress. I would weigh myself every week at the same time, so I could see how I compared to previous weeks. I would see if I was running further and faster, whether I felt fitter. As long as there was a general improvement I was happy.
It’s the same with my writing. Am I writing more words, or sending out more submissions? I keep track of acceptances and rejections, and keep an eye whether I am moving up the ladder of markets. That way I can see that, yes, I am making progress.
There is always a reason not to exercise, or to write
Whenever I thought about going to the gym or going for a run, there was always a reason not to. I was tired, I was unwell, I’d had a hard day at work, there was something else I had to get done, I was sore, it was raining outside. And so on. There was always an excuse not to exercise. The same with eating, there was always a reason why today was okay to over indulge.
The same thing happens with my writing. There is always something else I could be doing. There is always another link to click in Wikipedia, another funny video of a cat in sunglasses to watch, another Twitter conversation be had. But, if writing is important to you, if you are serious about it, you will find the time to do it.
Getting started is the hard part
I can’t even begin to count how many times I have sat around knowing I should be going to the gym or heading out for run, putting it off as long as I can, only to find that once I got started it really wasn’t as bad as I had imagined. It was that initial need to find the motivation that I struggled with, not that actual doing.
For me, it is the same with writing. I can spend literally hours getting started on that first sentence, but once I get going I never have any trouble going on. And there is the same feeling of achievement at the end, whether it is completing a session at the gym or hitting “save” on a short story, knowing that you pushed through that initial roadblock – or the feeling of disappointment in yourself if you failed to get motivated enough to start.
Being accountable to others will help keep you on track
Looking back, the most successful and ongoing exercises habits I have made have been ones where other people are involved. Whether it is running with a partner, working with a personal trainer or even playing basketball, I find that having other people around makes me step up. When I am running by myself it is much easier to slow down because no one sees that, while when running with a partner means that I want to look good.
With my writing, I have a group of people who I tell what markets I am planning on subbing to, so when I don’t I know that I will have explain why I didn’t. It means that I can’t just decide I can’t be bothered to do so. And, I am a member of a few writers groups, people who get to see my writing and I don’t want to be submitting pieces of a substandard quality to them. All these things make me try even harder than I would on my own.
Surround yourself with others on the same journey
As I got serious about getting fit I discovered that there were other people around me, and at work, who were doing the same thing. We were able to talk about the high and lows of the journey, give each other tips and just generally encourage one another to keep persevering. They spoke the same language, of calorie burns and carbs and, most importantly, I could talk to them without boring them silly, and talking with them left me more motivated to keep going on.
It’s the same with writing. All my friends are very supportive of my writing, but I avoid going on about it too much (honestly, I try!) because they aren’t on the same journey and I don’t want to bore them. I love being around other writers, people who speak the same language and understand the highs and lows and the struggles and striving that go into writing. I can get tips on how to do better and talk about the things do and don’t work. And, I go away refreshed and motivated to keep on achieving.
When you do fall short it isn’t the end of the world
It is easy to get discouraged when you are trying to lose weight or get fit. When you do your weekly weigh in and the scale goes up, or when you go way over your calorie limit for the day it can be rather depressing. And, if I don’t exercise for too long or slack off when I do, I can get down on myself. But, really in the scheme of things it isn’t that big a deal. There is always a chance to do better next time.
It’s the same with my writing. When I miss a deadline, or get a rejection, or have a story ripped to shreds by my writers group of course there is a little bit of feeling sorry for myself. But, I try and shrug it off and move on as soon as I can, resolving to learn from experience and not make the same mistakes as I did last time. I know that if I keep learning I will keep getting better.
In the end, you have to be doing it for yourself, and for the right reasons
When I was on my fitness kick I realised that I had to be doing it for myself. Not for what other people thought, or to compete with others. There was always going to be someone fitter or faster or with washboard abs. If other people were the measure of my success I was always going to fall short. Instead I set my own goals. I wanted to be able to wear all the clothes that were sitting in my wardrobe feeding moths. I wanted to be able to get through a game of basketball without feeling like I was going to die. I was doing it for my sake, not for others.
It’s the same with my writing. I can’t use other people as my goal posts, there will be other writers who make more sales than me, or less. I can’t make editors or publishers buy my stories, and I can’t pin my hopes on awards. All I can do is make sure that I am making the most of what ability I have, that I keep producing words and that everything I send out I am proud of. I know if I keep doing that, then I will feel good about my writing. Everything else that happens will be a bonus.
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David Goodwin is the former Editor of The Salvation Army’s magazine,War Cry. He is also a cricket tragic, and an unapologetic geek.
David Goodwin archive of articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/david-goodwin.html
David Goodwin is the former Editor of The Salvation Army’s magazine,War Cry. He is also a cricket tragic, and an unapologetic geek.
David Goodwin archive of articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/david-goodwin.html