What I Learned About Writing From a Stand Up Paddleboard

Technique and tenacity take you only so far

Photo by Reed Naliboff on Unsplash

A still, hot morning.

Tide’s out.

Water is inviting.

Where I live, these windless summer days are rare. So you take advantage of them.

This means you take out the SUPs (StandUp Paddleboards). The boards that everyone gave to themselves last Christmas but barely used.

Of course, a few fun challenges show up:

• Figuring out where to lay the SUP in the crowded beach carpark

• Working out how to turn on the pump after connecting it to the car

• Wondering why the paddle seems so short

But, intrepid beachgoers as we are, soon we’re off and away, gliding across a reef of seagrass, rocks, and small fish.

This is Australia, yes. But I’m half a continent away from our famous coral reefs. So I didn’t spot any fabulous turtles, manta rays, or clownfish. Sorry to disappoint.

And what might this have to do with writing?

Well, I learned that skill and determination are not enough to steer a paddleboard.

You need the fin.

Yup. I forgot to attach it. Which explained why every paddle stroke kept weaving me to one side or the other. And that made getting anywhere slow and hard.

I did blame the light wind and current for a while. Until I tried my sister’s board, which steered easily, as I remembered from past paddling.

For any non-aquatic readers, the fin is what keeps the board steady and pointed towards its goal. The deeper the fin, the more the board holds its course and the easier the paddling.

As a writer, the fin is

• my habits

• my boundaries

• my values.

The closer I stick to these three, the steadier I feel. And the faster I move towards my goal. The more deeply I set habits, boundaries, and values in my day, the easier I find writing to be.

So I won’t blame the weather (or the changing emotional currents) when I’m off course in my writing practice. I’ll check first whether the fin’s fixed on securely.