UPHILL BATTLE

Did you ever find yourself pushing a stroller with a young child inside up the side of a mountain and thinking about just sitting down and not getting back up again? Well, not too long ago, my family and I took a trip to Tennessee and found ourselves in this same scenario. A little place in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. If you’ve never been, you should go! Such a beautiful park. 

My wife and I took our young children on a hike to Clingman’s Dome. With a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old, the paved path of Clingman’s Dome was perfect. Except when it wasn’t. The entire hike is less than a mile and goes up the side of a mountain until you reach a beautiful overlook tower which presents amazing views. Pushing a stroller up the side of a mountain, even if it’s paved, is no easy task.  

Writing a book is kind of like pushing a stroller up the side of a mountain. It’s tough. You’re not even sure you should be doing it. Sometimes, you just want to stop. Maybe even just quit and turn around. Go back to the car and find the nearest McDonalds. Much like getting to the top of that Dome and looking out over the mountains, finishing your book is worth it.  

That’s not to say you should never give up on a project. Sometimes, you just don’t like what you’re making anymore and that’s okay. You can come back and try again. But if you really want to see it through. If you really want to see that view at the top of the mountain, you must keep going. It’s going to be a struggle. Finding the time to write. Finding the motivation. Working through writers’ block. Getting stuck on the small details. It’s all going to get in your way. But trust me when I say the end is worth it.  

Oh, and I’m sorry. When I say end, I don’t mean finishing your first draft. You’re still on the mountain at that point. But you can take a nice long break. You’ve earned it. Trust me. We didn’t make it up that mountain without stopping several times along the way. Luckily, there were benches for that. We would catch our breath and keep going. If you need to catch your breath from a book you’re writing, that’s okay too. Step away for a little while. Get some air. Play something. Watch something. The best way to get reinspired to write is by not writing. Trust me, it works.  

After we finished admiring the view from the top of Clingman’s Dome, we started back down. Turns out, going down the mountain with a stroller is much easier. Much easier. Maybe a little too easy. The weight of the stroller was pulling down the mountain and I had to do everything in my power to not start running with it. It was a great arm workout, I suppose.  
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So, if you take anything away from this story, it’s this. It may be an uphill battle to write your book. And when it’s finally finished and ready to be published, it will be easier. But much like going down a mountain with a stroller, it’s still a lot of work.  
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Until next time, keep wandering. Just not alone.   ​