The Olympics games are in London right now. Have you caught the fever? Before I get into my comparison between writers and Olympians, let me explain my love for the Olympics. I am a true patriot. I love competition. And I admire athletes.
I've witnessed firsthand the sacrifices and very real blood, sweat and tears of athletes. As the mother of a professional dancer (and, believe me, dancers are athletes!) I watched my daughter give up school functions and outings with friends for YEARS to take dance classes six days a week. She had talent. She had determination. She had passion--just like the Olympic athletes who have given up so much to achieve their goals.
While watching the games, it occurred to me that writers and Olympians have more than a few things in common. Quite a few, actually, such as:
• Ambition
• Determination
• Passion
• Discipline
• Drive
• Motivation
• Teamwork
• Rejection
• Resilience
• Patience
• Talent
• Rewards
So, is writing an Olympic sport? Well, no, although writers who compete in the National Novel Writing Month challenge where they attempt to write a 50,000-word novel in November (or our own JANO challenge in January), might disagree. After drafting a novel in just one month, those writers surely deserve a gold medal.
I'd never thought about the comparison before, but NaNoWriMo and JANO are definitely competitions. And it's work. Good points.
ReplyDeleteI don't watch a lot of the olympics. Just a little bit. Love the skating. HATE the curling.
I think it's interesting that writers and Olympians share many of the same traits, especially since most writers I know aren't particularly athletic. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting. My favorite sports are gymnastics and swimming during the summer and skating and skiing during the winter Olympics.
I should have asked everyone about their favorite Olympic sport.