The Writer As Performance Athlete

How an athletic practice makes an excellent corollary to a writing practice.

I had a certain impression of what it meant to be a writer. This idea was fertilized by the media and the glorification of certain eras and figures. I like to point my finger at the caricatures inhabiting the Stein-Salons in Paris. Central to this impression was an invisible tenet — you must abuse your body for good art.

So, caffeine-fueled (and later adderall) writing binges became the dominant way I generated material. Binges, by definition, are episodic. And aimless drinking seemed a good way to fill the gaps between these episodes, in part because I had gleaned from media that this was another thing that writers did.

This worked, but only in a sense and to a point.

It’s not sustainable for the body, and it’s not fair to loved ones in your life.

Perhaps, we are fascinated by stories of writers who abuse their body for the same reasons that we are fascinated by athletes who achieved despite abusing their body — Diego Maradona, George Best, Dock Ellis.

It’s fascinating because it’s a departure from the norm. The truth is less sexy but more widespread. To ensure longevity, most athletes take care of their body. This means going to sleep at a reasonable hour and regulating the consumption of alcohol. And, if we are to extend the same logic to writers, that probably means fewer soirées with whoever passes for Gertrude Stein in your city.

In time, I read about the writing process of P.G. Wodehouse. He was prolific. To be prolific, you cannot be episodic.

And to be prolific, you cannot abuse your body. It must be your ally. You must treat yourself like a performance athlete, honoring the needs of your profession and craft by ensuring that this mighty shell you’ve been given gets the right nutrients, an appropriate amount of rest, and healthy doses of exercise. Go even further. Use the advances in sport science and sport psychology to overcome writer’s block and other changes. I use visualization for both sport and for writing — it actually works better for writing because I’m often my own opponent.

And even as I push this metaphor, we can be tender to ourselves and recognize that we are NOT performance athletes. We have much longer performance lifespans and don’t need to squeeze every drop out of our twenties and thirties, so go ahead and eat the donut.

But in a larger sense, drop the self-flagellating notion that art and body-abuse are unfailingly connected. There may be a connection there. There may not be. But I know for sure that considering your body as integral to your writing practice will allow for more sustained, regular output.

Written by Raghav Rao

Illustrated by Sophie Lucido Johnson

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Office of Modern Composition is a Chicago-based writing studio that both makes compositions and fosters composers. We offer one-on-one coaching for writers and also take on commissions for things you need to have written. We also offer free events like our in-person and online co-writes.