Thursday, August 2, 2012

Faster, Higher, Stronger

Inline image 1I was the first person to volunteer for the Olympic Blog Relay on Nicole Singer's blog, but even as I did it, I wondered what I'd write about today.
And just as I opened the editor to improvise today's post, a phrase jumped into my head:

"Citius, Altius, Fortius" or as it is famosly known: Faster, Higher, Stronger.

I must say that of all the mottos I've ever known, I've never seen one that better represents what it stands for. It's the Olympic Games Captured in three words.



Because that's what the Olympics is about. Always pushing harder. Always trying to excell.

But this motto could apply to writing as well. Just like athletes can't just rest on previous successes until they retire, writers are never done learning their craft. They have to continue pushing themselves to learn more, to achieve more.

Faster, Higher, Stronger can serve as a special reminder for writers to keep striving to be the best they can be. How?

Faster

We can push ourselves to work as efficiently as we can without sacrificing the quality of our writing. So when the procrastination bug bites, we can do our utmost not to give in to temptation. We can resist the urge to waste time and sit down and write.

Higher

Writers must never stop dreaming. Because our dreams are the way we aim for our futures. Never give up on your dreams for publishing. And NEVER give up on a story idea just because you don't think you have the skills to write it.

Stronger

Writing to a large extent is about strength. Our word choices have to be strong. Our love for our stories have to be strong. The quality of what we've written have to be strong. But there is no such thing as "strong enough". There is, however, "stronger", and that can only be done by challenging yourself when you write and edit.

So, writers, keep reaching. Keep dreaming. Keep pushing yourself to improve your writing. Look for critique so that you can hone your craft.

Keep growing.

Keep striving.

How could you apply Faster, Higher, Stronger to your writing?



13 comments:

  1. What a fantastic analogy! I don't think I could have said it better myself!

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  2. LOve the analogy. And I can honestly say that Citius, Altius, Fortius has never jumped into my head. LOve also your well versed mind.

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  3. We never arrive - we're always improving.
    And I wasn't sure what I was going to post for the Olympic Blog Relay either! You came up with something great.

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  4. That is wonderful!

    After writing seven books, I can see where I've become stronger.

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  5. Misha, thanks again for being that first volunteer! This is an awesome post. I love the idea of applying the Olympic motto to writing. I'm definitely getting stronger...now I have to work at that "faster" part. :)

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  6. Brilliant!

    Thanks, Misha, for the super inspiration--this is something that I want to remember.
    I love this. :)

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  7. Excellent job, Misha. Writing takes the ability to continue and endure, to grow stronger, learn and apply faster and dream higher!

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  8. Wonderful post, Misha!

    I love the application of "Faster, Higher, Stronger!" to writing. I think it could work in a micro-level too, within each scene:

    -- Get to the drama and tension FASTER: Avoid bogging down in backstory and boring exposition.

    -- Make the emotional impact STRONGER: Strive to deliver scenes, characters, and dialogue that makes a stronger connection with the reader.

    -- Make the stakes HIGHER: The drama, conflict, and tension should revolve around story elements that would deeply affect the characters.

    How's that? ;^)

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  9. I think lots of research can really help to make a writer challenge themselves and achieve heights they did not know they could achieve, Research plays a large role in how I develop my books.

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  10. A great and inspirational post.
    I really enjoyed it!

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  11. Thanks for the encouraging words, Misha...I need to apply them to my life, overall, not only writing! :-)
    Some Dark Romantic

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  12. Your blog is very interesting, and your words are exactly what most people who want to write need.

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  13. Great analogy! As applied to my WIP: Faster - work faster at getting the preliminary research done. Higher - surpass the bar set by my first two published novels. Stronger - make my character stronger than her mother was. :)

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