Learning About Writing From Olympic Gymnasts
I don’t know about you, but performances by artistic gymnasts mesmerize me. I love to see them fly off the vault, soar from one uneven bar to another, and tumble with forceful assuredness in the floor exercise.
What really gets me, though, is the balance beam. How does anybody stand on a four-inch piece of wood, let alone pivot, leap, and handspring across the beam?
I never thought I had anything in common with these fearless gymnasts; then I heard Gabby Douglas speak: “The hard days are the best because that’s when champions are made. So, if you push through the hard days, then you can get through anything.”
I realized what she said applied to anyone’s attempts to achieve greater heights.
When I took a closer look, it turned out that there was an awful lot about writing I could learn from gymnasts:
1. Gymnasts know that success hinges on having a competitor’s personality–mental preparation, a positive attitude, and determination to succeed. This means that, when you think you’re going to fall, you must grab on, even if it’s just with your toes. Never simply jump off and give up without a fight. It looks bad and feels worse. Writers must keep working through challenges.
2. If you do fall off, get back up and go again. Don’t focus on mistakes because that will drown you in the fear of failure. Learn from challenges and move on. Just because you make a little mistake doesn’t mean your work is ruined. Make a shift. Fix the problem, just like a gymnast does a balance check to stay on the beam. Don’t go looking for trouble, but expect that there will be challenges. Refuse to be afraid of them.
3. Be keenly aware of your abilities, not to limit yourself, but so you can know where you need to improve and grow. Be willing to constantly reassess your situation and develop your skills. Keep an eye on where you’re going–not on your feet. Your feet keep you where you are at present. You need to move ahead. Do this by writing every day. Be in the moment each time you’re at the keyboard.
4. Gymnasts put pumice on their hands and feet so that they can grip without ripping their skin. Pumice gets on their faces and on the backs of coaches and teammates after congratulatory or consoling hugs. Writing, too, is a dirty business. Get over it. Be willing to write a really messy first draft so you can clean it up later. And be willing to do whatever you need to do to summon the Muses, and use whatever tools are at your disposal so you can get going and stay going.
5. Pay attention to little things and the big things will take care of themselves. Gymnasts attend to the tiniest of hand and foot movements so that their grander skills look even more dazzling. Writers need to pay attention to small things, too–nouns and verbs, commas and paragraphs.
6. Keep the writing process new no matter how many times you’ve done it. You can do this in tough times by remembering what you love about the good times. When things go well, write a note to yourself explaining how writing thrills you. Refer to your message in down times.
7. Even though they know the scariest parts of their routines come when they let go of the beam and leap, gymnasts also know these risky maneuvers earn the highest marks from judges. Writers, too, need to take risks. Write in an unfamiliar genre. Submit to an upper-level publication. Give a public reading. It’s scary, and every bone in your body may tell you it’s dangerous. That’s when you know it’s right. Leap! The more often you take risks the greater your rewards become.
8. Gymnasts know they may not always win a medal. The key is to be happy in each of their performances knowing they did the best they could. Writers may not always be published, so you must find happiness and courage in knowing you’re doing your best writing possible at the time. You don’t need anything else as long as you keep learning and trying. There’ll be other days.
9. Cheer on others and help them succeed because that will help you, too. You’ll learn what works and what can be improved. And by developing a network of supportive peers, you’ll have writers to whom you can turn for assistance. But don’t compare yourself to other writers. Keep jealousy out of the relationship because it’s toxic.
10. Like gymnasts depend on their coaches, learn to take feedback from others. However, believe in yourself and do what works for you, even when others say you’re no good and can’t do it. You owe that to yourself.
Did I miss anything? What would you add to the list?
