The Sports Enthusiast

            Do you know someone who is really passionate and excited about sports? Does she watch anything that pops up on television and follow a variety of teams and players? Would you find him out on the court or field or match or bowling alley whenever he has a spare minute?

            True aficionados would watch anything from bull fighting to golf, from the beginning to the day to the end. All day long scores and statistics fill the house. She sits on the couch with eyes glued to the screen for fear of missing the putt, the finish line, the strike. With bowls of food at hand and a cooler next to the chair, she is prepared for the day.

            Your task is to write a story in which your character is a huge fan of sports. Perhaps it’s an all-consuming love that surpasses time with family and friends. Maybe he has set a goal to visit every professional baseball stadium, soccer match or golf course, even those in other countries.

            Think of the adventures, the disasters, the excitement, the relationships to be told. Your character might have a family that shares the love or feels neglected by the overwhelming amount of time spent glued to the television. Drama enfolds in the form of conflict driven by dialogue and action.

            Have fun with this one.

Play Ball!

Baseball. Basketball. Volleyball. Tennis. Rugby. American football, soccer and futbol as it’s known everywhere else. Playing sports is something almost everyone does sometime in their life.

For most of us we learn the rules of the games in our physical education classes. If a parent follows sports, then we spend hours watching on television.

Some of us play on recreational teams that become quite competitive, while others only play pickup games at local fields and courts.

Games can become contentious. Players cheat to get ahead. They illegally trip or push opponents. They step over lines then argue that they didn’t. Players who fall become injured, and if not hurt, get angry and fight back. Tensions rise. In professional sports it’s not unusual to see entire teams rush onto the field.

Your task is to write a story in which sports plays a major role. Choose a sport that you know enough about in order to tell the story. Make sure you understand the causes of tension and use them to draw the reader in. Details are critical. Dialogue is required.

Have fun with this one.