Feb 4, 2015 / Advanced

On What Athletes Can Teach Writers

What Wayne Gretzky and Michael Jordan can teach you about writing.

Photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ekilby/4265116062">Eric Kilby</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">(CC BY-SA 2.0)</a>

You might say that sports and writing are like chalk and cheese — polar opposites — though today I bring you two quotes from two very different star athletes that I feel apply directly to writing.

The first, from Michael Jordan, the “greatest basketball player of all time.”

I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.

–Michael Jordan

You don’t get to be a six-time NBA champion without a few mistakes, a few false starts, and a few failed attempts along the way. The same can be said for writing. Consider the posts that sit in your trash — those few “failed attempts” that started with a spark that went dark. Consider those “false starts” at writing, those unfinished drafts that sit quietly in your dashboard, awaiting your return.

Wayne Gretzky, one of the greatest hockey players of all time, offers this:

You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.

–Wayne Gretzky

Taken together, these two quotes can be a writerly recipe for success: you might “fail” at times, though you will fail 100% of the time if you stop trying to achieve your authorial dreams.

Having trouble getting started? Andrea Badgley offers some ideas on starting a daily writing practice.

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  2. Yes its quite true that as a writer you can’t let a few failed attempts set you back. But its also important to recognise that sometimes a story/article/blog post simply isn’t going to pan out. Whether the argument is quite sound enough or the characters are not consistent.
    It is ok to walk away from a piece of writing and not beat yourself up over it.

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  4. I don’t consider any post a “failed post” – the idea just hasn’t yet ripened (some never do, but that’s ok). I just put the ideas in a “working” file and poke at them every so often. It feels amazing when one of those ideas bursts into flower!

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  7. I absolutely agree and those are two quotes I’ve used on my blog as well. They are really inspirational. Good to keep them handy for basically everything in life. Happy weekend everyone 🙂

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  8. Great post- and a timely reminder for me that it’s takes ongoing effort and patience to achieve the desired outcome. Worrying about success or failure before the project is completed will just distract you from the task.

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  10. i enjoyed reading this. I am both an athlete and writer and i personally fid that both coincide brilliantly. It gives me determination to think beyond a general mind frame and that only with experience, time and effort will you improve in either field. I have a blog where i take an event, image or location (for example) and describe it simply yet blissfully. Im attempting to create individual visual interpretations for readers rather than a straight outline of facts. Let me know if you like it! https://sundaivalley.wordpress.com

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