Pedaling Makes The Mind Go Round

THE LULU CHRONICLES

LuLu-ism #29: To quiet the head, stop talking, stop forcing, stop trying to tell it what to do. You know, stop acting like your mother. (Just kidding… I love you, Mom.)

So, I’m riding LuLu Saturday morning when all of a sudden it hits me. You see I’ve started a new book- my fifth. Two have been published. One is sitting in a drawer waiting for major rewrites. It was my ‘starter novel’. One is on an agent’s desk waiting for me to get started on some rewrites. And, now, I’m working on a new one. I was about 7,000 words into this new book, but I had a false start. I couldn’t seem to get my storyline clear in my head, or my characters, or voice or anything. I was struggling… until LuLu.

I’m riding up a little hill Saturday morning and I don’t even notice the lovely landscape around me. I’m mumbling and sorting my thoughts when suddenly, everything falls into place. I hear my character’s voice. I know my first line and I think I even know the last line off the book (which will be written many, many months from now). I did it, with the help of LuLu.

I started out my bike ride with this clouded notion and jumbled thoughts, but the more I pedaled and the more distance I put between me and my computer, the words came. The story started to reveal itself.

I love writing. I love telling a good story. I’ve tried to stop a few times, thinking it a big waste of time. But, I can’t seem not to write. It is as much a part of me as eating chocolate or decorating the Christmas tree. I will never stop doing those things. They give me too much pleasure. Writing is depleting and hard. After a day of struggling to put just the right words on the paper (or computer screen these days), my brain feels like I’ve fried it on the sidewalk on a hot, sweltering day. Yet, I feel so complete, happy and ready to do it all again the next day.

Some days, the words have to be pulled out of me like I’m sadistic dentist with pliers. Other days, they just flow out of me like I’m taking dictation from a nonstop talker. On those days have a hard time keeping up as my fingers fly over the keyboard. Those are good days.

LuLu has become my think tank so to speak. Riding her clears the head of clutter—pushes it aside and makes way for a stream of consciousness that has been extremely beneficial these last few months. I highly recommend it. In fact, I’m thinking of writing our President and telling him if he wants to solve our country’s ills he need to get himself a pink bike… and soon.

Need to work some thing’s out? Leave the house. Ride a bike.

See you, Thursday.

deb