First Monday Mentoring February 2019 – writing lessons we can learn from cricket

One thing I need to make clear – I know next to nothing about the game of cricket, despite friends’ best efforts to enlighten me. Nevertheless I found myself intrigued by an article by sports journalist, Robert Craddock, @craddock_cmail  in the January 7, 2019 Sunday Telegraph.

He wrote a 10-point analysis of the Indian cricket team’s “blueprint for success.” As I browsed his ten points, I began seeing them as a blueprint for writing success as well. The headers fit perfectly and I’ve adapted the content to apply to writing.

1 Be Fit and Fierce

The Indian team, says Craddock, have non-negotiable fitness levels for their players. Many of us have resolved to improve our fitness this year, but how many consider the benefits to our writing? A fit body translates to an alert mind and it can be acquired as easily by walking regularly, as by spending hours in a gym.

2 Wicked wickets

The lesson here is to ignore “good” or “bad” conditions (wickets) and write anyway. Waiting for the perfect day or mood to start writing is a sure way to get nothing done. If you find yourself saying, “I’ll write when…” try changing when to “now.”

3 Be flexible

Being flexible means not trying to be Nora Roberts or Liane Moriarty – they’re already taken. Create your writing practice around your special abilities and write your words your way.

4 Tough love

According to Robert Craddock, the Indian team practices all kinds of ball deliveries until they can handle just about anything. As a writer you can do the same, challenging yourself to write long, short, to a deadline and just for fun. Entering competitions – or even judging them – out of your comfort zone is another way to practice tough love on yourself.

5 Bold cuts

This means removing anything from your writing practice that doesn’t serve you well. Decluttering expert, Marie Kondo, calls this removing whatever doesn’t spark joy in your life. I have a well set-up office but found myself working at the dining table. Solution – change my old fashioned desk for a “dining table” type desk that’s smaller, streamlined, and makes me feel good using it. Likewise invest in stationery, pens, keyboards, any tools you enjoy using.

6 The anchorman

Craddock refers to one Indian player who shaped the mood of his team. You may be a one-player team but how do you inspire yourself? Do you read interesting articles – like this one, taking inspiration from a subject I knew nothing about? Watch vlogs and podcasts like Sarah Williams’s Write with Love, learning from some of the wonderful writers she interviews. Disclaimer: one of them was me, so I may be a bit biased. www.sarahwilliamsauthor.com/valerieparv

7 Bag of tricks

Do you write cleverly and with invention, aiming to improve your writing with every draft? I’ve written before about my 20 Options for ensuring originality. When writing a new scene I start with the numbers 1 to 20 down the side of a page or screen, aiming to fill in as many story options as I can. The first few are the most obvious, the next few becoming more fanciful, until I have more options for the scene than I’d dreamed were possible.

8 Back-up troops

When you run out of writing steam, do you have a writing buddy you can contact when the going gets rough, and do the same for them? Belong to a group on or offline? Have a library of “keeper” books to re-read for inspiration? These are your back-up troops.

9 Hard-yakka heroes

For my overseas readers, hard yakka is an Aussie term for hard work. As with elite cricketers, successful writers can be surrounded with glitz and glamour that obscures the hard work they put in to get where they are. Working around day jobs, family demands and rejection are all part of the long road to success, and must be repeated book after book.

10 Challenge yourself

Behind almost every published writer is a pile of books that died in the writing, were rejected despite their best efforts, and had the author questioning why they chose to write in the first place. To finish the cricketing analogy, I’ll quote Robert Craddock who says, “The (Indian Team) lost both series (against England and South Africa) but gained a tough shell that had them conditioned for anything in Australia.” Think of all those lost books as helping you perfect your craft and grow that tough shell.

What people or jobs inspire you? Share your thoughts in the space below. They’re moderated to avoid spam but your comment can appear right away if you click on “sign me up” at right. I don’t share your details with anyone. Happy writing!

Valerie

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