Sports and Writing

Last night, the sport of American football took center stage. The Super Bowl is the most watched single sporting event here in the States, and many people use the game to get together and throw a big party....only to pay for it the following Monday. I myself am dragging ass pretty bad here.

My Twitter feed and Facebook newsfeed were filled with funny updates and peoples' opinions on the commercials. However, I noticed an interesting trend - nearly half of my fellow writers didn't give a damn about the Super Bowl. In fact, many of them were pissed about the electrical blackout that delayed the game by more than thirty minutes, pushing back the starting time of the CBS crime drama, Sherlock.

Many of you know I grew up in a world of athletics. By college, I focused on two sports: tennis (I was forced to, as playing collegiate tennis paid for school), and martial arts, which I actively practiced into my late 20s.

I know many of my writer buddies don't care for sports, but I think writing and sports have a lot in common!

1) Passion. Writers thrive on passion - their love of telling a great story. It's passion that drags you to the computer when you don't feel like it. It's what makes you write you 1000th query letter, knowing the odds are against you. Without passion, you wouldn't be a writer. Sports is the same way - I remember getting up to work out or practice, despite not feeling like it. Passion is the fuel for excellence in both endeavors.

2) Practice makes perfect. Writers go through writing exercises (like flash fiction) in order to hone their skills.  All writers churn out garbage...and if you don't admit that, then you are delusional! Unfortunately, most of what we write needs fixing. Nothing is perfect. But going through the arduous process of editing and perfecting is part of being a writer. Sports is no different. Athletes spend most of their time practicing. Even with natural abilities, they too must hone their skills. Losing is a part of sports - but it also serves as a valuable learning opportunity. Basketball icon, Michael Jordan, was trusted to make the game winning shot and failed 26 times! A loss is practice for your next victory.

3) Creativity. I will exclude all the copycats out there - and there's a lot in the writing world. But when true creativity blossoms, it can create waves. There are too many examples of this to list, but look at the most recent market-shattering works out there: Harry Potter, Twilight, 50 Shades (yes, 50 Shades). Say what you will about the writing or whatever (which I can easily do with Twilight and what I've read of 50 Shades), but they struck a chord with readers. Creativity can overcome weak writing sometimes. Sports is full of revolutionaries. In my sport of tennis, Jimmy Connors changed the game when he used two hands on his backhand and made the return of serve into a weapon - this is a tactic used to this day. In competition, when all else is equal, it's the one that's creative that usually wins. Sometimes, the lesser opponent can upset the favorite by being creative.

On the surface, it might seem that writing and sports have nothing in common - but they have so many shared attributes. The drama, the passion, the drive...it's all there in both worlds!

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The cover art for my upcoming novel, Dragonfly Warrior, is done. I'm not ready for any kind of cover reveal yet, as the typography needs to be completed by my publisher. But I will give you a couple little teasers.

Working with a small press is awesome, as I had the opportunity to give the artist A LOT of input. After describing a particular scene that I thought would make for a great cover, I told the artist that I wanted the cover to scream Asian steampunk with a side of KICK ASS.

My novel is not going to change the world, nor give you some piece of infinite wisdom about your life. But it's a fun ride filled with action, drama, and more steampunk action! So here's a fun teaser:

What's steampunk without an airship?