Writing is (Like) a Sport

Has anyone ever asked you how long it took you to write a novel? Personally, whenever I get asked this question, I feel sheepish saying "About a year."

Because, if you are a total stranger to the writing game, that can sound like a really long time. 

But it's actually not. The first twinkle of an idea, then the plotting (or if you're a pantser, plunging right in), the first draft, then the revising and re-revising and revising some more. And sometimes trashing the whole thing and starting over, can take a long time. Sometimes even more than a year. 

To an outsider, this sounds ridiculous. Because, if you're any good at writing, you should be able to just sit down and tap out a book, right? You're either a writer or you're not, right? 

Wrong. So wrong, I can't even begin to tell you how wrong it is. 

So the next time you're telling someone about your writing and they seem a little skeptical, throw this bomb at them. 

Writing is basically a sport. 

I won't go so far as to say that writing is a sport, but I will say that writing is like a sport. And here are some of the reasons why. 

When you first start, you have no idea what you're doing. 

I'm going to use basketball for my illustration here.  I am not an expert on any sport, but basketball is the one I'm most familiar with. 

Usually children are young when they first start playing basketball. They have no idea what they're doing. They drop the ball when they're trying to dribble, they walk constantly, and they miss the basket by several feet. 

It's the same with writing. Your first attempt at writing any sort of novel, you're leaving huge plotholes, you've got underdeveloped characters, and a weak story structure. 

There's no reason to expect anything different. Just like a six-year-old can't sink a hoop their first time out on the court, no one writes a perfect novel their first time. It just doesn't happen. 

You have to practice really really really hard before you get good at it. 

No one got to the Olympics because they were born with this amazing talent. Some sports come easier to some people than others, but every athlete who becomes famous always talks about how much time they spent practicing. They had to get up early, and practice in all sorts of weather. Sick, emotional, even when they wanted to quit, they had to keep practicing. 

Writing is like that, too. You have to write if you ever expect to get any better at it. You can't just write one novel and call it a masterpiece. I can promise you, it's probably not. Yes, there are people who got their first novel published, but you're probably not going to be one of them (sorry!). 

There are always exceptions to the rule, but there are very few. 

The best way to get better at writing is to write. 

Just like in sports, where the motto is "Practice, Practice, Practice", your motto should be "Write, Write, Write." 

At some point, you will hate it and want to quit. 

Most famous athletes have gone into retirement at some point. Or at least taken a break from their sport. Most of the time though, they come back. They just can't stay away. 

Sometimes you can't keep writing. Whether it's because you have a book that you just can't get perfect, or you've just run out of things you want to write about, every once in a while you have to take a break. 

But if you really, truly love writing, you'll come back. 

So, you are an athlete. Writing is like a sport, and you need to keep practicing. Don't be afraid to step out of the game for a minute, but, don't be too scared to step back in. 

I hope you guys enjoyed this post! 

Have you ever felt like people didn't think your writing was important? Do you have something you say that makes people realize how tough writing is?