The Monthly Goalpost for July: World Cup Fever

GOOOOOOAAAAALLLLL!!!

It’s World Cup time and all you soccer/football fans probably have the fever. I don’t pay much attention to the pitch and its goings-on any other time than once every four years but I’m intrigued by this giant-sized competition. One thing that I think about when watching these elite athletes is the amount of practice and focus they have dedicated to the game. Being goal oriented, in both senses of the word, has led to success. The most talented ball handler (or is it ball footler?) would not make it to the top of the game without a concentrated effort to be the best.

What does World Cup soccer have to do with subbing? This tournament is all about goals and making it to the next round which is very similar to the submission experience.

They train. Weight lifting, running, sprinting and lots of practice drills. We do too. All those how-to books, classes and practicing our craft.

They have a strategy and tactics. Defense, combinations and offense. Yup! We have that too. Defense: honing craft; combinations: crit exchanges; and offense: sending out queries or postcard promos and submitting polished work. We plan and prepare and put it out there.

They work on the pitch and so do we. Theirs is covered with grass and ours is three lines at the most.

They aim for that space between the goal posts. They miss more goals than they make but they keep trying. Sound familiar? Sometimes they are so close, it is heartbreaking to see the ball bounce off a post or veer ever so slightly outside the net. That happens to writers and illustrators too—so close but in the end, it’s a pass.

They celebrate when that ball finally flies into that net. The crowd cheers. And you will too with each success. Cartwheels and fist pumps. Your crit group sends accolades. Corks popping. Everyone has their particular way to savor that moment.

I’ll leave you with one last thought: “…well-organized and well-prepared teams are often seen beating teams with supposedly more skillful players, even over time.” from Wikipedia

What have you got planned for July? Comment here or if you’re part of the private Sub It Club Facebook group, tells us how you’re doing over there. If you’d like to join our Facebook group, send a request.