Fiction is Like Golf
Lately, writing has gotten annoying. I’ve been thinking about craft so much and covering it in blog posts that when it comes to write, I feel stuck. I feel like I’m playing golf. There are so many techniques to learn and apply when it comes to the game. There’s a way to hold the club, to stand, to swing, to putt. One must know which club to use, which way the wind is blowing, how the ground slopes. Keep your eye on the ball, keep your shoulders aligned, keep your left arm straight, keep your hips squared. Argh! How can anyone make par keeping all of those details in mind?
That’s how writing feels to me as of late. I’ve amassed so much information about what makes a story great that I’m having a difficult time writing a great story. Like in golf, I need to absorb all of the important details necessary to play the game, but then I simply must let go. Just relax and let it flow. To that end, I’m going to write fewer posts per week on my blog. It’s not the time required to write these posts that’s getting in the way, but the fact that thinking about craft too much is resulting in tense prose.
I’ll let you know how it goes. FORE!
Photo: Fevi Yu / Flickr Creative Commons
Tracy Staedter 
Keep your head up! Sounds like you need a massage, an intense workout, some yoga, or all 3! You’re justing hitting a mini road block…happens to all of us. I’ve been enjoying reading everything you write 🙂 XO
Thanks Gabby! I just need to shake it off! 🙂 See you Friday?
In golf, rule #1 out of all the hundreds of rules is keep your head down. Don’t get so excited about seeing where you shot went that you start looking up before you hit it, and hence, screw up the shot even before you’ve made it. I understand this is at odds with Gabby’s guidance to keep your head up, but thought you should know since you’re a golf metaphor into this post. I’d just say, “swing away!”