Photo by Bruno Nascimento on Unsplash.

Editing is a sedentary job that is best done indoors. This is a challenge, as experts declare exercise, fresh air, and sunshine to be necessary for good health. And so I took up running. A few weeks and a narrowly avoided injury later, I’ve realized just how much running can teach us writers. It’s certainly taught me a lot, and I can’t even say I’m very good at it (running, that is).

Let’s take a look at some of those lessons.

It’s More Fun with a Friend

No, seriously. Even if you feel like you’re dying and have to call a rest, running is far more enjoyable when you do it with someone.

Writing is the same. Sure, writing can be and often is a solitary endeavor. But it gets a lot more fun when you have a trusted friend to pound out those words with. You can write different genres, write slower or faster than each other, and not even write together every day, but having someone write alongside you and being able to share your progress with them makes the process a lot more fun.

It also has another benefit. There will be days when you’re tired or just don’t feel like writing. When those days come, having a friend who is waiting to write with you makes it a lot harder to bail out, purely because writing with someone creates accountability. They are also there to cheer you on when you want to quit on a story or give up writing altogether. In short, they encourage you to keep going, and you do the same for them.

You Need Something to Work Toward

Seriously. It’s all well and good to say “I’ll run for exercise,” but it’s far easier to walk and still declare it exercise. But as soon as you have a goal with a date (which, for runners, is typically a race), you have to run because you are now working toward a specific goal.

Same thing with writing. It is easy to say “I want to write a novel” but never get round to writing or finishing or publishing it. You need a goal to work toward, and that goal does need a date attached. This could be writing short stories for submission to magazines or competitions or trying to complete a draft by a set date or setting a date for publishing your book. Oh, and that date and goal need to be shared with your writing buddy or critique group or editor so they can keep you accountable.

Don’t Judge

I’m an all-or-nothing type of person. Which means I expect myself to be able to run five kilometers in thirty (or twenty . . .) minutes with no training purely because that is what athletes do. And then I get disappointed with myself when that doesn’t happen.

At the same time, I am learning. I now know what my average pace for a 5k is and can judge my performance on that. I know what distances I can expect myself to do easily, which ones are tough but doable, and which ones I cannot expect of myself yet. I also know now that I cannot make myself do tough-but-doable runs every time I hit the road. Rather, I need to vary it, and in varying it I’ll be pacing myself properly.

Same thing with writing. You might hear of a person who is able to write two or three thousand words in one sitting or someone else who publishes one full-length novel every three months. Then you judge your performance against theirs. Newsflash: you’re not them. And you’re going to get frustrated and disappointed with yourself if you try to match someone else’s performance. Rather get to know yourself and what you can do comfortably, what is a challenge, and what you feel is unreachable at the moment. Then make sure that your writing sessions are tailored to what you can do and not what someone else does.

Pacing Is Vital

Remember I said I’m an all-or-nothing type of person? In running, that typically translates to starting out too fast and then not being able to maintain the pace. I’m (slowly) learning to start slower, which means I can continue longer, rather than using all my energy up at the start and dragging myself home.

A similar thing happens with writing, but it typically manifests over a project instead of an isolated writing session. And I get it, when we’re excited about a project, we want to write it and see it finished. The story captures our hearts and ignites our imaginations. Surely the fire of this passion will carry us through?

Nope. I learned this the hard way one NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). At the start of the month, I was averaging 3,000 words written each day. At the end of the month, 500 words were a real challenge. (If you’d like to read the post I wrote about that, you can see it here.) Starting out “too fast” on a writing project without first building the stamina you need can and probably will lead to burning out later. Progress stalls or ceases altogether. The story shifts from exciting you to causing you dread or anxiety. You don’t want to work on it because writing feels excessively hard at the moment. Rather pace yourself properly at the start and be able to maintain a constant “pace” on your story. Which leads me to another point.

Thus Far and No Farther

On days when I have shorter runs scheduled, it is tempting to do just one more mile. After all, it isn’t that much farther than what I’ve already done and I’ve done longer runs and would be able to do it . . .

On those days, I have to really rein myself in. The whole point of having shorter runs scheduled is so that you still run but don’t exhaust yourself. This leaves you able to do the longer runs.

How does this translate to writing?

Simple. Decide how much or how long you will write for a session, then do that and no more. Did you set yourself one scene? Don’t start scene number two. Did you say you’d write for fifteen minutes? Don’t go twenty. Sure, if the timer goes but your words are flowing, then maybe you can go a little longer, but avoid going too much longer. What I’ve found happens when I do this is that when I come to my next writing session, I know what I’m starting with because I didn’t use up all the ideas last time.

Now, a caveat: if you set yourself one scene to write but your mind is bursting with ideas for a second at the end of the session, then by all means, note the ideas down. But don’t write the scene. Just jot those delightful ideas down so that you don’t lose them. Then pack up. It will be both hard and beneficial.

Strength Training Is Important

Yes, runners run. But not building strength in key muscle groups can lead to injury. So a lot of running programs recommend adding strength training to one’s running regime.

For writing, “strength training” would be the equivalent of practicing the basics. Do you know your parts of speech or how to use commas? Can you spot a misspelled word or a sentence fragment in your own writing? Have you mastered the basics of grammar? Sure, you can hire an editor to catch all that for you (and I do recommend hiring an editor or proofreader anyway), but you will be a stronger writer if you master some of these things for yourself.

Other “strength training” aspects include mastering things like “show, don’t tell”; point of view; scene and story structure; and so on. When it comes to practicing these things, my recommendation is to write short stories and focus on one of these aspects. Short stories are quick to write and edit, letting you strengthen all those “writing muscles” without spending too much time on the story. And those skills translate into novel writing.

Lastly, Correct Form Is Key

A seasoned runner once remarked that I have a “long stride.” That was one way of saying that when I run, I tend to overstride, which leads to a host of problems that end in injury. Injuries when running are a reality, but when correct form is being used, the chances of injury lessens.

Being writers, we don’t often think about our form, which is the way we sit or how we type and so on. But incorrect posture or keyboard angles and so on can lead to physical injury, such as carpal tunnel syndrome. And sure, doing everything correctly does not remove the risk of overuse injuries, but doing things incorrectly will result in either overuse injury or general discomfort.

When writing, do make sure that you have adequate light, that your computer and keyboard are set up properly, and that you use good posture. Be sure to drink lots of water (yes, take it easy on the caffeine) and take breaks in which you walk around a bit and focus your gaze on something long distance for a little before getting back to work.