A few years ago, thanks to a good friend of mine, I lost 65 pounds.  My friend didn't run with me, or put me on a diet, or perform liposuction in her basement.  She challenged me...

We were at dinner together, I after being divorced and she after losing her husband to suicide, and we realized that in the intervening months, we had both gotten really fat.  So she bet me.  "$500 to the person who loses 40 pounds in four months."

So I started eating right .. and running.. and four month later I had lost 40 pounds.  I never did get the money from her, but better than that, I had gotten into the habit of running and eating right.  I went on to lose more weight, and through the years have more or less kept it off.  That result was worth more than any amount of money.

But I find that to keep it off, I need to keep in the habit of running.. and eating right.  I went walking last night two miles for the first time since breaking my ankle.. the lack of exercise has me a bit stir crazy... and it felt good (although my ankle didn't feel so great today.)  But the key thing is I need to get back in the habit.  Getting out of the habit is easy.. getting back in is rough.. but once you're there.. it just keeps going.  It's a bit like backpacking for me: the third day in the woods is always the roughest.. and when you wake up the fourth morning, it's like you've always been doing it and you could walk forever.

So what does this have to do with writing...?

With losing my job.. and getting a new one.. and moving.. and breaking my ankle.. I've used every excuse to not write.. Which is ironic.. considering that I've spent more time sitting on my ass over the last two months than I have in years.  Every week I tell myself, "this is the week I'll get back to my book."  And every week goes by without my doing that...

For me writing is a lot like exercising.. It's too easy to get mentally flabby and lose the muse.. and so hard to get back.  And it's not like I don't still have my story to tell. it's in my head all the time.  I just need to discipline myself to sit down and write it.

When I was in Alaska finishing my second novel, I'd go to the coffee shop every day after work and write for an hour.. and it felt so good.. I was in the story and running with it..

At the moment, it feels a lot like work.  Maybe it's because of everything else I have going on.. but that's no excuse.  But I worry that if I force myself to write.. it's just going to come out like crap.. and I keep waiting for the muse...

I think I've come to the conclusion this weekend that the muse is waiting for me.  Like any other part of our body we need to exercise our brains, and I think mine's become flabby from lack of use.  So tonight, despite all my mental protests, I'm going to write.  It may be good, or it may be bad, but it'll be something.  And it'll start me back down the road to getting this novel done.  I know I'll feel better once I do.. I just need to do it.

And heck.. maybe I'll even do a few sit ups when I'm done...