On Sunday
evening I watched the Superbowl along with my husband. Not being a football
fan, I still watched the game with interest. My husband who was very athletic
in his youth, played sports, and refereed as well, did a wonderful play by play
analysis for my benefit.
By
half-time, I was convinced that the New England Patriots would lose the
Superbowl. Atlanta
What can
writers learn from Tom Brady and his performance at the Superbowl? Perhaps to
never give up, even when the odds appear to be against you. Making it as an
author is a lot like making it as a professional athlete. Only the best survive
and succeed. Pit bull determination, hard work and effort are necessary. Never
give up!
Comments
welcome here.
Jacquie, you're so right. I've often told new writers (after they've received a handful of rejections from agents or editors) persistence is the key to getting published. Now, even though self-publishing makes getting a book published easier, persistence is still the key to getting the word out about that book and reaching your goals.
ReplyDeleteMaris,
ReplyDeleteI do believe persistence is crucial if you want to be published, not just for books.
Persistence is definitely a key to success, but I'd also like to point out that Tom Brady, considered one of the absolute best in his field, could still lose. No matter how successful any one of us is in our careers, we can still lose something important. Good post, Jacquie.
ReplyDeleteSusan,
DeleteOf course you're right. A little luck never hurts.
So True, Jacquie!!
ReplyDeleteGreat post
Good luck and God's blessings
Pamt
Pam,
DeleteThanks for the good thoughts.
Best piece of writing advice I ever got was "Never give up." Having said that (and bearing in mind that I don't follow football and don't really much care about who wins when) I was kind of disappointed that the Patriots won, because they have a history of cheating. Boo on cheaters. :-)
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of people were rooting for the Falcons because they were the underdogs, and they did play an incredible game up to the very end.
DeleteTom Brady may be the best quarterback of all time, and he wrote the textbook on staying cool under pressure yesterday, but he has lousy taste in friends. Perhaps that's where he learned his ethics.
ReplyDeleteCraig,
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting.
Nice post, Jacqueline! I don't follow football, and so didn't care who won. However, it was exciting watching a history-making, come from behind victory, with some amazing plays. Using your analogy with writing, I would say we must strive to develop skills to be top of our game, and as you said - never give up - even when things look bleak!
ReplyDeleteCatherine,
DeleteDeveloping our skills is extremely important. I think we must always strive to improve the quality of our work--another must for success.
What's the old saying? It ain't over until the fat lady sings? :) I think with writing, you definitely have to keep believing that because the field is so competitive now. The whole dynamic of writing is changing and so all you can do is whistle Dixie and keep going! :) Great post, Jacquie :)
ReplyDeleteHi Loretta,
DeleteYou're so right about the competition. Submitting to open calls for short story fiction, I often get responses that say we aren't rejecting because the work isn't good but because we were overwhelmed by responses--typically 3000 submissions for 12 anthology spots. Publishing is a tough field. That's why I say if you really want to write, you have to hang in there.
Yes! Yes! Yes! That is my mantra as I keep writing. Nearly finished my 2nd book. Yes! Yes! Yes!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your words of wisdom, Jacque. xx
Thanks for dropping by Anni. Keep on writing!
ReplyDeleteA lot of good advice her. A couple more things to add - Brady has also lost a number of playoff games that dropped them out of playoff contention and a couple of Super Bowls. You don't win them all. And Brady works hard--keeps himself fit, spends a lot of time in game preparation, and works with the rest of his team--to be sure he's ready when the moment presents itself.
ReplyDeleteKaren,
DeleteAs you observe, you can't win them all. But having heart and working hard does make the difference.
Thanks for the pep talk, Jacquie. I needed that!
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by and commenting, Jan!
DeleteI'm not a football fan and know nothing about Brady. But I do believe in persistence in all endeavors one believes in.
ReplyDeleteHi John,
DeleteI'm not a football fan either, but Brady is a good example of someone whose hard work, talent and persistence have paid off. As such, we as writers can learn from him.
So true. And leave it to you to draw a worthwhile lesson for us writers from an exciting football game. Touchdown, Jacquie.
ReplyDelete