All I Ever Needed to Know About Writing I Learned from Watching Kansas City Win the SuperBowl
Today’s Monday, Feb. 12, and when I arrived to work, I realized I didn’t need to be worried about finding parking today. The lot had plenty of open spots. It’s the day after the Super Bowl LVIII and my social media is filled with congrats for the Kansas City Chiefs for defeating The San Francisco 49ers 25-22.
I was at my friends’ annual Super Bowl party. Often it was hard to watch this game, especially in the final seconds of the 4th Quarter. But I realized a few truths the next morning and thought I share them with you.
It’s Not Over ‘til It’s Over
There’s no one quite like quarterback Patrick Mahomes when it comes to the final seconds of a tough game. In what looked like a 19-16 win for the 49ers, Mahomes brought the ball into range, and with three seconds left on the clock, and Harrison Butker’s 29-yard field goal sent the game into overtime. For those of us watching, our relief was palatable. We’d been in this spot before, at a previous Super Bowl. The team could do this. They would win.
Writing is often like this. In traditional publishing, you’ll hear writers who get dropped from their lines, or lines and publishing houses close. In indie, algorithms change. Some may say that the golden age of self-publishing is over, but that doesn’t mean anyone’s career is. It’s sometimes hard to focus on the positives when the situation is so fraught, but as long as you’re moving forward, there’s always a chance to score and reach the end zone.
You’re Gonna Get Frustrated
Everyone saw Travis Kelce “bump” into Coach Andy Reid during the second quarter. Kelce was frustrated when he hadn’t received the ball when he was wide open. At this point, Kansas City was struggling in the game; San Francisco was up 10-3 when Usher came onto the field. But Kelce put the situation behind him, making a critical catch in the final seconds that set up that tying field goal.
Being an author can be a bit like this. Kelce calls Coach Reid a mentor, and by the start of the third quarter, Kelce had his emotions under control. So much with writing and publishing is outside of your control. You write the best book and fans can’t find it, so they don’t buy it. Or maybe they don’t love it. Or your cover isn’t exactly what you’d pictured. Or your career isn’t progressing the way you want.
The key to those frustrations is how you deal with them. You might have a dustup when things go poorly. But it’s how you handle that dustup, and how you come back and make things right that are the mark of success. As a former principal used to always say, “You are the variable.”
In the end, the Chiefs proved all the naysayers wrong. They rose to the occasion and never stopped fighting. If you’re counting, on the Chief’s final six drives, Kelce was involved in each, including the final 16 seconds where he almost scored until he was driven out of bounds at the 11-yard line with 10 seconds left.
You can’t control anyone else, but you can control how you react to the situation, including any needed adjustments to your attitude, your playing, your social media presence, and your career. Try not to get tackled so hard by a setback that you don’t bounce back up.
There’s No I in Team
One of the things about Kansas City is the “brotherhood.” They were in this together.
As writers, we also need our team. This can be those who work with you on your books, and your writing colleagues. Your support system can also include your loved ones, like friends or family. They are the ones who have your back through good and bad, thick and thin, even if they’re not as famous as Taylor Swift. It’s important to realize that you’re not alone in this journey. Writing is a solitary job—just you and your computer. But that doesn’t mean that you are alone. Join a writing group. Go to a meetup. Follow writers online. You are never alone and writers are probably one of the best, most friendly groups of people out there. Do not be afraid to ask for help.
It’s About the End Result
The pundits wrote off Kansas City Chiefs multiple times this season. They wouldn’t win a playoff game as a visiting team. They couldn’t play in the cold. They were too distracted by their personal lives. They had too many injuries. Others said the 49ers would walk over the Chiefs. At Christmas no one thought this team had a chance.
The end result is that they’re back-to-back Super Bowl champs, the first team to do it since the New England Patriots.
Writing is the same. Writers get into the middle of the book and often think “this sucks.” It feels like we’re facing setback after setback. Then we finish the book, revise, edit, and read it again and say “Who wrote this? It’s really good. Wow! It’s me.” That’s the moment. Then once that book gets out into the world, it’s real. It’s good. We’ve done it. We’ve accomplished what so many can’t do.
About 7 percent of high school athletes play football in college. The number of high school athletes playing professional football is 0.023 percent.
So many people say “I wish I could write a book.” If you’ve done it, if you’ve published, if you’ve written more than one, you’re already winning the game.
So celebrate. You’re a writer, and it’s great no matter what stage of your writing you are in. Don’t quit, keep going, and keep writing.
You got this. The trophy awaits.
