Never begin with a marathon

The Best Strategy To Use For Writing

Proper writing training will avoid injuries

Couch to 5k, aka C25K is the slow training strategy I used to begin my writing journey here. There was a time many years ago when I had a weekly column and then later a weekday publication that I operated for about 5 years. But that had been decades ago, so I was out of writing shape and knew better than to try to jump right into a writing marathon as I didn’t want to injure myself.

As a runner, I’d trained for 5k, 8k, 10k, 15k, half as well as full marathons. I knew preparation through training is essential in any challenging endeavor. Writing is most certainly a challenging endeavor. It requires technical proficiency and a heavy dose of creativity to have some degree of success. So tapping into the Couch to 5k strategy, I applied that to my writing.

There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.

― Ernest Hemingway

In August 2020, I began publishing one article a week. It was relatively easy, but still, I knew each week I had a deadline. In September, I upped my publishing to two a week with a Tuesday and Thursday target deadline. I was able to make that happen with some careful planning.

Then October rolled around, and I was at three a week and published on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

We’re now into November, and the target is four a week with publishing on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. I’m freaking out just a tad as I have a regular job though working from home gives me lots of autonomy. There is still the pressure to perform and not just crank out junk.

When December arrives, and I’ve already committed to five a week, we’ll see how that goes, but I need to get through November for now.

So how have I been doing it?

I have a full-time job, and due to the pandemic, my work life was much slower than usual. Knowing myself as I do, I like to move and train slowly so that I don’t get injured and also, so I don’t burnout and lose interest. My stats are far from impressive and were not pretty initially but have picked up.

I heard a long time ago in a podcast, “start with ugly.” And if you read my first post here, well, let’s just say, in my opinion, it’s not as well produced as some of the later ones. But that’s good as I started.

If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.

― Stephen King

For decades, yes, decades, I was a writer in my mind only and in my notes on topics that I’d never fleshed out. I had notebooks filled with story ideas, both creative as well as non-fiction related topics. I would never say I’m thankful for the pandemic. There were New Opportunities Because Of COVID-19. I’m grateful that turning my world upside down allowed me to see new opportunities. Thus, my writing became a reality once again, and this new journey began albeit very slowly.

As I’d mentioned, I use to write a weekly column many years ago for a small local publication. So I know I can write. I wrote restaurant reviews as I had a background in food service. Plus I wrote about events were happening around town. My favorite piece was interviewing locals and sharing their story. I met so many interesting people with tremendous stories. Everyone, and I mean everyone, has a great story to tell.

If you’re not a writer, consider the Couch to 5k strategy for any challenges you wish to accomplish. Say you want to start eating healthier and actually cook at home. Begin by selecting and cooking 1 recipe a week for a month. Then the next month, select and cook 2 recipes a week and so on until you’re where you wish to be.

Final Consideration

I used the Couch to 5k strategy to relaunch my writing journey. So far, it is working as I’m keeping up with my schedule, and I’m not falling behind, getting burned out, or overly stressed. Though I do feel the extra push required when a new month and a new weekly goal needs to be achieved. For me, slow and steady is the way to develop any muscle including writing. Writing is not physically strenuous, it does require expanding your mental bandwidth. Plus, seizing the time needed to write. If you’re ready to begin your writing journey here or elsewhere, the Couch to 5k is a great strategy to start the process.

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