"1,2,3…GO"

                                                            

                                      Pacing Your Creative Race

          I’ve always liked animations, especially the movie Cars.  Before, that Herbie. Motion pictures too like Speed and Days of Thunder.  Notice a theme?  They all have something to do with speed.

          In my teen years, I ran track back in Junior High School.  I loved the relay races and dashes.  It was about the thrill of going full throttle toward the finish line and winning the race.

          What I’ve learned through trial and error and also biblical principles, is that the race is not always won by the swift but those who endure.

          I admire long distance runners because they have trained themselves to keep a steady pace.  Not to fast or to slow.  If they push themselves to the max speed at the beginning of the race, fizzle out long before reaching the end.

          This logic also applies when writing. Often, times we rush ourselves due to deadlines, and life in general. Mainly because we want to start a project and complete it as soon as possible.  I understand, we all are busy and have other things to do.  The most important part of any project, is the thought process.  How we plan for it, work out the details, then implement the procedures.

          Writing, is a medium of communication that allows us to express emotions, experiences, overall a way to share our thoughts and ideas with the world.  In doing so, we need to insure what we say is precise and well put together.

          The best way to make this happen is through pacing.  Keeping a steady flow that allows time for thought, reflection and to make any needed adjustments.

          How a story flows is crucial just as much as pacing.  If you rush through it, there will be errors, and a vital part will be lost in translation.

          Sometimes, what we want to say is clear in our minds, but distorted when applied to paper. Because we want to see what the finished project looks like.  This usually occurs when we hurry the transcribing process.

          As a writer, I am excited when my creative juices are flowing freely.  My mind sometimes works faster than my fingers and I make mistakes. I never see this while I’m in production mode, it’s afterwards when I’m reading over the day’s work. 

          I fondly remember, a time as a child my mother cautioning me to walk and not run.  Because she understood the danger, of tripping and falling, or not having enough reaction time to slow down before nose diving off a cliff. 

          This, advice is what I’m offering to those of you who tend to run instead of walking.  It’s about pacing yourself.  To not be in such a hurry to get to the end.  But taking your time, and keeping a steady flow, if you’ve adhered to this process, will be first across the finish line and achieve victory.