Writing Throughout the Seasons

Here's one of my short manuscripts that recently appeared at Tiny Lights.  I thought you might appreciate the perspective, Sara

First, Last, and Always

by Sara Etgen-Baker

When my husband introduced me to running, I loved it. As I ran alongside him, my body felt weightless as I soared through our neighborhood—my feet pounding, legs and arms pumping, lungs filling like bellows, my body having fun.

In short, I felt remarkable, magical, and unstoppable—-until I decided to train for my first 5K race and learned that I needed to run properly: Knees up!...Elbows in!...Eyes forward…Keep your head up!...Lift your feet!...Remember pace! After a few weeks' training, I was amazed that I could walk across the street, much less run! I entered my first race only to have a woman a couple of years older than me pass me in the first half mile.
So, I joined a running club and emulated other runners' styles and techniques-—giving up that part of me that loved running. After a few more disappointing finishes, my enthusiasm died; the joy was gone. I got so caught up in running competitively that I lost sight of why I was running until I realized that--given my talent-—I must run my race my way.

When I began writing a couple of years ago, I loved it. As I sat at my laptop, my fingers felt weightless as they danced across the keyboard-—my mind running free, stories magically appearing on the screen, and me always having fun.

In short, I felt creative, alive, and whole-—until I decided to enter contests and learned I needed to write more professionally: Use spell check!...Write proper sentences!...Use proper grammar! Follow submission guides!...Develop a web page!...Remember to blog! After a few months of writing, I was amazed I could think about a story, much less write one! I entered a few contests receiving more than my fair share of rejection letters.

So, I joined a writers' group and emulated other writers' styles and techniques-—giving up that part of me that loved writing. After a few more rejection letters, my enthusiasm waned; the joy was gone. I got so caught up in writing competitively that I lost sight of why I was writing until I realized that-—given my talent-—I must write my story my way.

So, I learned this important truth: Cut loose…run…have fun…and find my story—-first, last, and always.

Sara Baker is a retired educator turned freelance writer. In addition to writing memoirs and personal narratives for fun, she also runs 10 miles a day—-just for fun!