Writing and Running

Writing requires the mental endurance of a long-distance runner. The thought of writing an entire novel with the quality to get published can seem far beyond daunting; it can feel simply impossible. However, in a recent article for The Chronicle of Higher Education, Rachel Toor, a professor at Eastern Washington University and a long-distance runner, has found that the key to sticking with such a huge project is breaking it up into small, manageable steps toward completion, even if that means thinking one sentence at a time.

Don’t take my word for it; listen to Ernest Hemingway:

Hemingway wrote in A Moveable Feast: "I would stand and look out over the roofs of Paris and think, ‘Do not worry. You have always written before and you will write now. All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.’ So finally I would write one true sentence, and then go on from there.”

 

Here at Prestwick House, we know that good writing and discipline take practice. That’s why we offer numerous resources to help anyone master the art form.