On Writing, Running… & MURDER! by Laura Lavoie

Are you a picture book writer who likes athletic challenges and basement apparitions? If yes, this post is for you! (If no, this post might still be for you… check it out.)

If you follow my blog, you may have read my pre-pandemic post (Remember pre-pandemic?) entitled Lace Up Your Sneakers and Get Ready to… Write! In said post, I discuss running past live deer in my neighborhood, my husband’s Popsicle beard, and how both relate to this writing journey we’re on. (You know you’re curious. I’ll share the link to that post later on.) Anyway, here’s my pandemic post about running and writing.

For my own safety and the safety of others in my community (I have asthma and running in a mask is rough), I’ve primarily been running on the treadmill in my MURDER BASEMENT since March. Murder basement, you ask? Allow me to explain.

My house, like the majority of homes in my town, is pre-1900. Charming, right? It is! But, like many older homes, my house has some… let’s call them interesting… features. One of these charming features is how one accesses the basement: through a trap door in my guest bathroom. (True story!) Once you get the door open, you descend the steps (a glorified ladder) into a cavernous dungeon. Okay, not really, but it’s not one of those nice, finished basements with a guest suite and a plasma TV. It’s a creepy, cobwebby basement filled with creepy, cobwebby things. (And one lonely treadmill.)

So now that you know how I’ve been exercising, allow me to explain how writing and running are similar in pandemic times:

1- Some days you just don’t wanna (go down into the creepy basement); but if you lace up your sneakers/sit your butt in your writing chair, you’ll probably wind up doing it.

2- Bribing yourself with chocolate cake can help.

3- Accountability partners are key. We all need that friend who yells, “Give me 10 more sit ups! Give me 500 words! Don’t worry about the ghost in the corner!”

4- After a particularly exhaustive session, you might need to take a day off to rest. (Which is A-okay! You don’t have to write/run every day.)

5- It can take a while to see the rewards of your efforts (like, a LONG while…)

6- …and in the meantime, you may feel like giving up. (Don’t give up!)

7- Sometimes, you just need to push through and keep working, even when it feels impossible. (Or when the ghost waves at you.)

8- Listening to good music can help…

9- …as can changing up your routine. If you usually run, go for a bike ride. If you usually write picture books, write a blog post, or a different picture book, or a chapter book. Heck, an email!

10- You have to believe that you can do it, even on days when it feels impossible—and you CAN!

Still thinking about that Popsicle Beard, huh? You can find my previous running & writing post here. Wear your mask and stay safe, my friends!

Hey! Do you like my blog? If you find yourself nodding, let’s connect on Twitter and Instagram!

1 thought on “On Writing, Running… & MURDER! by Laura Lavoie”

  1. I would like to know how you GOT that treadmill into the basement – ha! 🙂

    Also, thanks for the inspiration to keep going!

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