Olympic Authors

I've been caught up in the excitement of the Olympics over the past few days -- the dedication of the athletes and their coaches to being the best at the right time, peaking for the moment; the support of their family, friends and sponsors; their citizens rooting for them, regardless of discipline. The wrestlers and boxers are cheered on, the track stars have rooting sections, the rowers have fans riding cycles along the route to watch!

And it occurs to me, the parallel this has to the writing life. Like athletes, we can spend a lot of hours alone -- at a computer, tablet or even a notepad, creating the mysteries we love, finding the twists and turns to tease our fans and readers. We need a good support system -- crit partners or a friend or family member who reads that rough first draft and encourages us that we can get better, make it tighter, stronger, more intriguing. We have our beloved readers who wait for our next book! We have our personal goals to set and work to attain.

At the Olympics, not everyone gets a gold medal, or even a silver or bronze. But there are plenty of personal bests and there's a great deal of satisfaction in being a part of the Games....and when you put together a story that dovetails with perfection, that entertains and engages the reader, that makes you proud to sign your name to....well, I kind of think I understand how a gold medal winner feels!

Libby McKinmer
Romance with an edge
www.libbymckinmer.com
http://www.shelfari.com/LibbyMcKinmer
libby@libbymckinmer.com