Golf: The Writers’ Sport

Most people know that writing can be a lonely profession.  Most of our work comes from the mind, therefore thinking takes up a large part of our time.  What’s the idea?  Where does the story go?  How can I make this character stronger?  How much do I edit?  Once finished with research, planning, writing, and editing the entire process usually starts again and continues until a finished product emerges.  There is only so much human interaction in the actual writing process which means we have to be alone to write.

 

Golf happens to be the loneliest sport on earth.  You may start with a group or a partner, but you probably will only see them in the tee box and on the green.  Your ball slices and theirs cuts.  You hit it straight and they venture into the woods.  You play in the sand and they search the rough.  But golf is great for the writer.

A writer thinks a lot and the golf course offers plenty of time to do that.  After a tee shot there’s a couple of minutes until you get to your ball and again after you hit with an iron.  In that time I think about my book project.  Do I like where the story is going?  Is there a connecter I can place early on and reveal at some other point?  Is he going to die and what will that do to the other characters?  I even think about book covers and what would best exemplify the entire book with one image.

Golf and writing have a lot in common.  There are funny moments; I almost hit the group playing beside us.  There are tragic moments; the ball bounce off a tree and landed in the lake.  There are adventurous moments; I had to trample over thorns, under branches, around trees to find my ball in the woods.  And there are peaceful moments; the ball soared like an eagle for two hundred and fifty yards.

You see, golfing is a story in itself.  The writer is the main character who has a mission.  They are thrown right into the action.  They have little time to defeat the enemy; themselves.  They have their weapons, distractions, suspenseful buildups, climaxes, agony, and revelations.  With each trip to the golf course they have one question on their minds; will this be a page-turner or a flop?