How to Get Off the Writing Treadmill and Explore

One of the best parts of NaNoWriMo is our incredible community of writers. Today, participant Joy Kistler shares what she’s learned about her writing style through NaNoWriMo… and how she found her pace:

I am a runner. What I love about running is the freedom I feel when I step out into the dark morning and take myself wherever I want to go. I’m fully present with the world. Sometimes a cool rain falls on my head and the wind whispers in my ear to keep going. Snow landing on my eyelashes makes me smile. It takes lightning and ice to put me inside to face the “dreadmill”.

The treadmill is a prison for me. I’m stuck in a tight space and literally going nowhere. On the treadmill I start out well, then the room seems to bend a bit, making me dizzy. The air feels thin and I start to panic. Sweat drops from my head to the rubber belt under my feet. Then, all I can do is obsess about slipping, falling, and knocking my front teeth out. 

I am also a writer. 

“I knew it was the perfect opportunity for my writing habit to become as strong as my running habit.”

When I heard about NaNoWriMo I knew it was the perfect opportunity for my writing habit to become as strong as my running habit. So, I signed up early. I’d read an article about preparing my story early. The advice suggested outlining my characters and plot in October so that when November 1 came I’d feel ready to just write.

In the weeks before NaNoWriMo I created character names and traits. I used Roman numerals to outline the plot, just like I’d learned in high school English class. I even chose a title. When November arrived I had my preparations materials beside me and my hand poised above my notebook. 

Then something strange happened. The room began to bend a bit, making me dizzy. The air thinned and I began to panic. My pen slipped through my sweaty palm and all I could think about was falling and failing. 

I realized the outline boxed me in. I needed the freedom to write what I wanted just as I needed to run where I wanted. I decided to ignore the advice. On November 2, I trashed all the prep work and found a flow writing where the characters took me. I finished the 50,000 words, but more importantly, I realized something about myself: I do best when I let the road and the story take me where they want me to go. 

Writing, for me, is about learning who I am. I am a non-planner.

Joy M. Kistler is a reader, writer, runner, and counselor. She was born an Okie and now resides in Kansas with her family. Joy has participated in NaNoWriMo twice and proudly wears her winner t-shirts around town. She seems to be constantly in the revision process since it’s the part of writing she doesn’t get excited about.

Top photo by Flickr user visualthinker.