Hello

I was running on my treadmill this morning, you know how it is, a daunting leaded task to get started. I feel as if I can could do a million other things instead of getting on that treadmill including counting all the dust bunnies under the couch. I start out slow, plodding along until I awake fully, get the gears oiled and going, my legs and arm get warm and loose, I pick up a steady rhythm, get my breath under control and keep at it until time passes without me realizing it and I’m done.

Writing is like running (most of the time) isn’t it? When we first sit down in front of the blank page, its clean white looks as vast as the solar system. We put down the first word, our first thought and sometimes it takes a while to get that “first.” We struggle over a sentence, if it’s the right words, if the character is meant to take you this way. We get a few more sentences down, then a paragraph, plodding along, most times uneasily, sometimes at a pretty good pace.

We feel ourselves getting hot after a while, really sweating out the thoughts, the words, the sentences, finding it not as hard as it was in the beginning. We keep going, one page, two, five, ten and the time goes by until we have a story, a screenplay, the insides of a novel. We stop here, breath easier and feel good we’ve done our part for the day.

Yes, running can be like writing and for me both (writing more) is worth doing. What I gain in the end; a healthier me and great writing, I can’t live without.

If you have any comments or suggestions please e-mail me at my new address: shabazzl@adasbcc.org.

Until next time, God willing,

Lori