Spinning Wheels Go Round and Round

Do you ever feel like you are moving, but going nowhere?

Three times a week I go to a spinning class at the gym. I sit on a stationary bike and pedal for an hour. The instructor paints pictures in our heads of open roads and 16% grade hills, of drafting and then passing another cyclist, but at the end of the class, we're still sitting in the same room in the same place. The wheels spin wildly, but I don't really go anywhere, except in my head, and possibly to the fridge for a snack when I get home.


My writing feels like it's in a similar place. I keep coming up with new ideas and I keep starting all of these different stories. I plug along at my WIP as the wheels of time continue to spin. But I feel like I'm still sitting on that stationary bike. I've been moving, but not really going anywhere. In my mind, I've pushed myself up hills and through paths surrounded by creeks and trees. I've even crossed the finish line at the end of a race. At the end of the day, however, it's all been in my head. I'm still sitting in the same place.

I have to admit, though, that even though I haven't moved, I've pushed myself hard and my body has responded. My heart rate has improved as well as my muscle tone and endurance.

Just as I've seen progress becoming more physically fit, I've seen an improvement in my writing and will soon complete the first draft of my WIP.

So, though at times I feel like I'm going nowhere, I need only sit back and take a good hard look at the small strides. I might be moving slow, but at least I'm moving.