Write the truth

I just returned from an amazing Aspiring Writer's weekend at the MIT Endicott House. Jane Cleland, author of the Josie Prescott Mystery Series), hosted a group of 11 writers, a group that ranged from people who had written novels and childrens books to those who'd written but never shared their work to a few who hadn't really written anything at all.

I was absolutely WOWED by everyone's writing, honesty and openness, including Jane's, who shared above and beyond my expectations and turned a group of strangers into a family.

It didn't hurt that we spent the weekend in the idyllic Endicott House, which looks like a French Chateau tucked into a wooded corner of Dedham, MA, just outside of Boston. Our first task was to drink wine and mingle in front of a blazing fire in the gun room, the dismembered, stuffed heads of bears, rams, foxes and bobcats looking down on us.

After drinks and dinner, Jane sat us down for our first lesson. At 9pm on a Friday, she made us write. It was a pivotal exercise for me because it showed me that I don't need to find the right time to write, or to be wearing the right clothes or to be at the right desk. I don't need anything except pen, paper, and ten minutes.

I'm going to relate this to running again. I remember a time when I used to be afraid to run if I'd recently eaten, or if I hadn't slept well, or if I'd run late the day before. When I started marathon training, I had to throw that out. Now I just do it. I just fit it in. In fact, I ran 15 miles when I got home from Dedham today, finishing just before sunset. It was worth it, and even if it wasn't the best run of my life, it is serving its purpose by building my endurance and boosting my immunity so I'll beat the annoying cold I'm getting.

Same with writing. Just do it. Even if it isn't the best prose of my life, it will serve its purpose by maintaining my focus and fueling my creativity.

This lesson translates into some concrete changes in my life that I am going to implement tomorrow. (Actually I'm implementing them now, writing this even though I'm absolutely wiped out!) I'm going to make a writing schedule that is just as detailed and structured as my marathon training schedule. And I'm going to stick to it. If I miss a 2-hour writing window in the morning, I'll make up for it in the evening even if I can only squeeze in an hour.

I realized as I was running today that if I'd done this a year and a half ago—and two marathons ago—I might have two novels to show for it.

The weekend continued with lots of writing, a review of lots of fundamentals which I really needed to hear again, and a survey of different types of writing, from YA to literary fiction to mysteries and memoir.

I think the entire group would agree that a lesson that resonated most with all of us also came on Friday night: Write the Truth. Yes, we make up our stories, but they must hold true, and the voice must be your own. The same way people can spot a poser in person, they can spot one on the page.

So the hardest part of finding your story is finding your voice. That requires finding yourself.