by James L. Rubart, @jameslrubart
A few months ago Taylor and I talked about riding the STP (Seattle to Portland Bike Race) together this coming summer. I rode it back in ’93 and have always wanted to do it again.
Taylor said I’d have to get in bike riding shape. I agreed. So I started riding my ancient mountain bike. Did six miles my first ride, on fairly flat roads. Same thing the second time, and the third. My fourth ride? I figured I was ready for Upper Joe Creek Road, a long steep climb near my home that I used to do years ago.
(You caught the years ago part, right?)
I made it. Tired, but I made it. That was Wednesday afternoon.
By midnight Thursday night, I was in so much pain I couldn’t sleep. Had to take a few hydrocodone pills from way back in the medicine cabinet in order to get through the night. The sciatic pain was so severe I spent all Friday in bed.
But hey, after 10 days (during which I did a LOT of stretching and icing) I was almost back to normal.
The Problem
My bio says, “James L. Rubart is 28 years old, but trapped in an older man’s body.” The problem is I actually believe that. And it got me in trouble. I didn’t train on easier routes and build up to the tough ride, and it took me out.
Yes, I Have a Point to This Story
I’ve met a great many writers that try to pen the Great American Novel their first time out. And they get taken out. Discouraged. They give up because their novel is a mess and they know it. Or they toil away for YEARS on the same novel, not ever getting to the place they know they need to be. If you can relate, let me give you a few simple suggestions:
1. Do writing exercises- this is just like an athlete practicing. So do them. Regularly.
2. Short stories – write one. Then another. Then another. If it doesn’t work, who cares? Throw it away and do another. You’ll learn a great deal about writing, without having to put 90k words into the story.
3. Analyze one of your favorite novels – there’s an old saying that goes, “If you want to learn something, teach it.” True. So tear apart one of your favorite novels. Why did it work? Why didn’t it work? If you were the editor on that novel, what would you suggest?
I’m not saying to stop working on your novel while doing the above three things, keep writing! But take the time to get off the field and practice. I promise, when you get back in the game, you’re skills will have increased significantly
(BTW, established authors can benefit as much or more by doing the three suggestions above.)
Gotta go, my bicycle is calling.
What if You Woke up One Morning and the Darkest Parts of Yourself Were Gone?
Toren Daniels vanished eight months back, and his wife and kids have moved on—with more than a little relief. Toren was a good man but carried a raging temper that often exploded without warning. So when he shows up on their doorstep out of the blue, they’re shocked to see him alive. But more shocked to see he’s changed. Radically.
His anger is gone. He’s oddly patient. Kind. Fun. The man he always wanted to be. Toren has no clue where he’s been but knows he’s been utterly transformed. He focuses on three things: Finding out where he’s been. Finding out how it happened. And winning back his family.
But then shards of his old self start to rise from deep inside—like the man kicked out of the NFL for his fury—and Toren must face the supreme battle of his life.
In this fresh take on the classic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, James L. Rubart explores the war between the good and evil within each of us—and one man’s only chance to overcome the greatest divide of the soul.
James L. Rubart is 28 years old, but lives trapped inside an older man’s body. He thinks he’s still young enough to water ski and dirt bike with his two grown sons, and loves to send readers on journeys they’ll remember months after they finish his stories. He’s the best-selling, Christy BOOK of the YEAR, CAROL, INSPY and RT Book Reviews award winning author of nine novels, a speaker, branding expert, co-host of the Novel Marketing podcast, and co-founder of the Rubart Writing Academy. He lives with his amazing wife on a small lake in Washington. More at jamesLrubart.com