I’ve been thinking a lot about writing lately. This isn’t new, of course. I’ve always thought a lot about writing. But while I was consumed (obsessed?) with training for the marathon, my writer brain took a little vacation. Now that the marathon training is over, and there are no races *officially* on my calendar, my writer brain has emerged its naggy head.

Also, it’s December. This means my whole brain and body are shifting into “hunker down” mode. Hunkering down for me looks likes a cup of hot coffee, cozy blankets, crocheting, and reading or writing. Sometimes I’ll crochet while listening to an audiobook, in front of my laptop so I can pause to take notes on what I’m hearing, or just jot down random thoughts that appear.

Which reminds me of a line from one of my favorite movies, “Empire Records.” Lucas – “Who knows where thoughts come from? They just appear.”

And back to my winding stream of consciousness…

The audiobook I’ve been listening to this week is “Writing Down the Bones” by Natalie Goldberg. Apparently, it’s a classic and is often used in college writing courses. I had no idea. I learned of it listening to a podcast interview with Ms. Goldberg, and immediately added it to my list of books to read. I don’t know why I waited so long. Oh wait, yes I do. I was busy running. Which brings me to the interesting comparisons Goldberg makes between writing and running. Writing is a lot like running, in that your writing muscles can atrophy when you cease practicing. If you’ve been sitting on the couch for 3 months, you can’t expect to get out and run a speedy 5k. You’re going to feel a bit rusty and sore until you can get yourself back “in shape”. The same is true of writing. I had taken an extended break from writing, had neglected this practice, for so long, that every time I sit down to write here on the blog, I feel like I’ve lost the ability to write anything well.

So that’s going to be a focus of mine going into this winter season. I’ve decided to write every day. I’m going to warm up those muscles and I’m going to practice writing, every single day. If I am going to continue to call myself a writer, I need to be writing. Plain and simple. It may not always be good, but that’s okay because that’s not the point. I’m working those writing muscles of my mind. And hopefully it will result in some useful material for the blog here, because since marathon training is over, I’ve got absolutely nothin’ lately. We shall see!