January 19, 2011

I read a very surprising study on the differences between marathon runners who finished the race and those who didn’t make it to the end. All the runners were equally fit and trained and healthy.

So what was the deciding factor in whether they were hardy enough to finish the 26-mile run?

It depended on where they placed their focus.

And it wasn’t at all where I expected!

Letting Go of the Goal

The runners who finished the race all said, in one way or another, that they had to stop focusing on the finish line and focus on the process instead. Rather than telling themselves, “I can’t run ten more miles to the finish line!” they focused on what they could do. They told themselves, “I can take the next step. If I have to slow down and shuffle, I can still take the next step.”

One reason they stopped focusing on the finish line was because it seemed overwhelming, too difficult. But a second reason they stopped focusing on the finish fascinated me: they actually lost speed. Whether they were ahead of the pack or behind everyone, focusing on the finish line made them slow down.

Parallels with Writing

You often see writing a novel compared to running a marathon. It does have many similarities: training, planning, learning specific skills, endurance, perseverance, and daily plodding! So I suspect that where you focus if you want to finish also applies to writers.

I know for a fact that when I focus on the finish line–the day I can say the book is done–that it feels overwhelming. All the work that needs to be done to get there just looks too difficult. And like the runners, that feeling of being overwhelmed may be what causes us to slow down and procrastinate before even starting the daily “workout.”

The Solution?

I expect that the writer’s solution to this is much like the marathon runner’s answer. We need to focus on what I can do right now. Something small that corresponds to the runner’s “next step.”

Small steps don’t look overwhelming. They look simple and do-able, if you’ve made them small enough. And we don’t have to be speed demons either. Like the marathon runner, we can “slow down and shuffle,” if we have to.

They say hardiness consists of three personality characteristics: commitment, control, and challenge. Writers with hardiness outlast other writers. They commit themselves to what they are doing, they control themselves and their small part in the publishing process, and they believe challenges are a normal part of the process.

Become a Marathon Finisher!

Are you a “hardy” writer? You may not think so because you’ve seen many of your writing goals go by the wayside. But maybe–just maybe–you have all the hardiness you need to be successful. Perhaps you’ve been focusing on the end goal too much instead of just taking that next small (slow) step.

If so, learn and apply this easy mental trick of successful marathon runners!

7 Comments »

1. 

   Great advice, Kristi. Some days I look at my first draft and think that it’s such a mess there’s no way I’ll get to the end and have a finished project. But on the other hand, if I can just write 1000 words today, at some point, I’ll get there.

   Comment by Beth Mac — January 19, 2011 @ 9:03 am

2. 

   Thanks, Kristi, for this helpful posting. This morning I was feeling overwhelmed with the miles I have left to go on my book, and you reminded me that all I have to do is take it one step at a time. Thank you!

   Comment by Rebecca — January 19, 2011 @ 10:19 am

3. 

   I love this post, Kristi. Small steps. Yes, I think I can! Page by page. Day by day. I have begun!

   Comment by Vijaya — January 19, 2011 @ 12:52 pm

4. 

   Great article! The end goal is OVERWHELMING! The whole process is overwhelming, but baby steps are doable and are what…keep me moving. Thanks Kristi, you are awesome.

   Comment by Meline Scheidel — January 19, 2011 @ 2:09 pm

5. 

   Great analogy! And I think you’re right… although there are days when even the small steps seem hard because I can’t figure out what they are or which direction I’m headed

   Comment by Susanna — January 20, 2011 @ 5:23 am

6. 

   Great post, Kristi. I am at the end of a manuscript right now and I needed this as a reminder to keep stretching and running, eyes down on the road not toward the goal line.

   Comment by D.M. Cunningham — January 20, 2011 @ 11:38 am

7. 

   I’m so glad that there are so many who also need this message! It is so EASY to get overwhelmed when you look at the finish line–and then notice how FAR from the end your book is!

   Comment by Kristi Holl — January 21, 2011 @ 6:49 pm

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