Lessons learned while swimming laps

Hi Reader,

If you're new to this list, welcome! And for everyone, be sure to scroll to the end to find the book give-away for June.

As we approach the summer solstice, I offer you a few writing lessons that surfaced while swimming laps.

About 10 weeks ago, I started swimming for fitness after many years of avoiding it.

As I swim, I focus on one particular aspect of my stroke for a lap or two: kicking, head position, the way my hand enters the water, whatever. Then, my focus shifts to another area. And I take plenty of rest stops.

It's working. I've gotten both stronger and faster. I'm not the fastest swimmer by any means, but I'm better than 10 weeks ago.

Swimming laps gives me plenty of time to contemplate writing lessons. Here are three straight from the pool.

1. Show up consistently. Do the work.
2. Focus on one area of craft for a while, then shift to another. You'll see results.
3. Do your own thing. Don't worry about how you compare to others around you. Progress happens at its own pace.

You'll notice I did not say "stay in your lane." That's great advice for lap swimming, but too limiting for writing.

Swimming has also delivered another, more subtle lesson that's the subject of this week's post.

Nothing Is Wasted

I’ve recently started swimming laps for fitness. As I cycle back and forth, lulled with regular breathing and the peace of the water, my mind floats back to earlier versions of my swimming self.

• The young girl learning to swim the length of the pool so she could earn a badge that let her use the pool in long, hot summer days.
• A teenager swimming in a cold, bog-lined lake in northern Wisconsin.
• A mother-to-be relishing brief periods of weightlessness in a YMCA pool.

Each of those past swimmers shaped the swimmer I am today. I am all of them, and someone different, adding my extended life experiences and well-traveled body into the mix.

How does this apply to writing? Everything I write contributes to who I am, and will be, as a writer.

The same is true for you.

The June Book Give-Away

This month, I'm holding a drawing for a new book by Robin Penn called Heart. Soul. Pen. If you need some inspiration, or permission to dig deep in your writing, this book is for you.

I left a quick review on YouTube: Watch it here.​

To enter the drawing, respond to this email by Sunday, June 23, and let me know what kind of writing you might like to try or do more of.

Until next time, happy writing!

Anne

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