on running
I’ve been silent these last few months, but not because I’ve been quiet. In fact, many good things have been happening and so I’ve been running, chasing after them. I have also, literally, taken up running, which is quite an accomplishment. I would not describe myself as a natural athlete. My preferred form of exercise is walking my dogs. Unfortunately, they’re both getting old and don’t want to take long walks in the woods. After our last excursion, when I had to carry my little white dog up a very steep hill, I pointed out to them that it would be simpler if I just took up long-distance running. They seemed happy about that.
So once a day I go trooping off into the woods. After about five minutes, my heart is pounding, my face is red and I’m slippery with sweat. At about this point the high school cross country team swoops out. No matter when I run, they run soon thereafter, though I very much doubt they’re waiting for me. They’re all strong and young and they pound by, but they always salute as they pass me, which I think is cute. Periodically older people run by, who I usually know, because I live in a small town. They invariably yell, “How’s the next book coming?” I always say it’s coming along fine, which I think is the case.
However, on a more tangible front, I did recently find out that one of my short stories is to be published by Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. This was a real treat not only because it’s a great magazine, but also because it represents the first new fiction I’ve had published since The Fiction Class came out. (I had a story published in 2009 Best American Nonrequired Reading, but I wrote that ten years ago. And of course I’ve had a lot of articles published since then, but it’s not the same.)
So that brings me back to running, because if there’s one thing I’ve learned about publishing it’s that it’s like a very, very long run. You keep running and you feel like you’re going to keel over. But when you stagger, exhausted, toward the finish line you say to yourself: That was sort of fun.
So what’s up with Bloomer readers?
June 25th, 2010 at 8:57 pm
Oh god Susan, I always think writing and biking are so similar. When I am halfway up the Manhattan bridge and hating myself, I think how it is always the middle parts that are the worst — when it is just as painful to go back as it is to finish the thing.
Congrats about the Ellery Queen short story!
June 29th, 2010 at 11:39 pm
Hi Susan,
It’s good to hear that you’re plugging along with your writing and your running. Congratulations on your upcoming publication in Ellery Queen! What good news. I’ll keep an eye out for it.
Too bad about the dogs, but you know, I have a stroller for mine and she loves it. So maybe you just need a 2-seater with those nobby tires for trail running. Tia has only 3 legs and a torn ACL, so it’s a medical necessity. Cuteness has nothing to do with it, oh no :o).
I just completed the second block of my writing program, and I’m struggling to complete a story that might actually be good enough to send out — if I don’t screw it up. Hence my late-night comment on your blog.
I started a new job a couple of months ago and it’s ok. I’m thankful for the income, and I get to work from home. One of my cats, Diamond, has a brain tumor, so it’s a gift to be able to care for her during the day, especially when she calls out to me, “Maaaaaaaaaaama!” I run to the bedroom where she spends most of her time. “What is it darling?” “Oh, nothing. I just wanted to make sure that you’re around in case I need something — a little food, a clean litter box, some worshipping. You know, the necessities.” It’s nice to know that if I fail as a writer, my position as a feline maintenance engineer is secure.
At the moment, one of my other cats, Elvis, is stretched out in what used to be my office chair. It’s his now. I now sit in a hard wooden chair with an ergonomic pad tied to it with old shoe laces. I’m pretty sure all ergonomic benefits are nullified by this arrangement, but my butt is awake if nothing else, and Elvis is happy on his leather executive chair, which is all that matters, really.
That’s pretty much it for me other than reading a lot. Hope you’re having a great summer and, as always, it’s good to hear from you again.
KT
July 21st, 2010 at 8:35 am
Runners have always remained a mystery to me. I think of running as a form of torture rather than an enjoyable sport or hobby so I can’t fathom why people choose to run. However, about seven years (during my third pregnancy) my husband took up running probably to escape his hormonal wife and small children. At first, I thought this was just a passing phasethat would soon fizzle out. But after seven years, just as many martahons-including Boston- and countless 5k’s, 10′ks, and half-marathons he’s still running. It’s not longer a hobby; instead it is an out of control obsession. He eats, sleeps, talks running constantly. Yet I, for the most part, remain mystified by this strange behavior.
So I took to reading as much as I could I about runners, how they think and why they are compelled to do what they do. If you want to understand the mind of a runner you need to get a copy of Haruki Murakami’s, “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running.” It’s a very enlightening as well as enjoyable read about running as well as writing. Murakami is a fiction author who was interviewed in Runner’s World magazine a few years ago. This is what he said about running and writing:
“The most important qualities to be a fiction writer are probably imaginative ability, intelligence, and focus. But in order to maintain these qualities in a high and constant level, you must never neglect to keep up your physical strength.
Without a solid base of physical strength, you can’t accomplish anything very intricate or demanding. That’s my belief. If I did not keep running, I think my writing would be very different from what it is now.”
July 29th, 2010 at 2:57 am
Susan -
I keep hoping you’ll post more often. There’s a small token of my appreciation for you blog (and The Fiction Class) on mine at http://oldereyes.wordpress.com/2010/07/28/im-versatile/.
Bud aka Older Eyes
P.S. - We have a black Burmese named Elvis … but she’s a female (named before looking)