Writing like an Olympian

plus something exciting for you!

I loved watching the Olympic games. This is not a post about that, but about commitment and excellence. Specifically for writers. 

Before we go there, I want to ask you about something I am designing for us. Before I make this glorious thing, I want to know if you think it’s glorious and if you would (pay to) join me. 

Be a better writer by reading

I love my book group, which I founded 20 years ago. However, I get frustrated with the conversation. We don’t go as deep as I want into the book, and we don’t talk about it as much as I would like. 

I have been craving a book group that talks more in-depth about writing. Finally, I thought, maybe I should host a book club for writers! But how? Speaking with my writing buddy Anne Boyd-Rioux, an idea sparked. Here it is: 

Read Like a Writer is a book group discussing literary fiction. We meet every 6- 8 weeks to discuss contemporary fiction that I’ve chosen¹. 

This will be a section here at Stumbling Toward Genius, where paid members can chime in on discussion threads and join a live online discussion. 

We’ll focus on how the book is written and the choices the author has made. These discussions will inform our own writing and help us be better, more thoughtful writers. 

This is not a workshop. It’s a group of writers and avid readers discussing how stories are written, hosted by moi. Starting in October with the first meeting in November. 

You don’t have to read Intuitive Editing by Tiffany Yates Martin², but it’s highly recommended, so everyone has a shared vocabulary we can use to discuss our books. Plus, it’s a really good book about how to write book-length stories.

Two questions for you: 

Feel free to reply with more thoughts if you have them. 

Writing like an Olympian

This week’s essay is less about my progress than about how I am writing like an Olympian. 

Okay, I am nowhere close to being an Olympian in any way, but watching the Olympics inspires me to strive for excellence. 

I imagine that to be an Olympic athlete, you have to have several things: