Writing Goes Bananas
Photo by Deon Black on Unsplash
Lately I’ve gotten hooked on watching baseball again. Not just any baseball, but Bananaball, as played by the Savannah Bananas.
They play their own game, with their own rules, similar to but not the same as regular baseball. Their rules are designed to make the game more fun, and move faster. Most of all, they center the audience rather than the players.
The do lots of trick plays and synchronized dancing at random moments. They sometimes wear kilts, or cowboy hats, or take off their shirts. They have a guy who pitches and even hits while on 5-foot stilts (yes, his nickname is “Stilts”). They have young guys new to pro ball, and a 76-year-old pitcher, former Red Sox All-Star Bill Lee. The umpire twerks. Once, the opposing team scored a run when they all just laid down on the field for no apparent reason.
I could go on, but the best way to see them in action is to visit their YouTube channel, where you can see lots of clips and live games. It’s good baseball – and it’s fun. They recently played the MLB Alumni, and it was joyous to see how much fun the old pros were having. Suddenly, baseball was fun again. They didn’t have to worry about their stats. They never knew what might happen on the field. At first, some were clearly disconcerted – What the hell is going on??? But after a while, they were smiling and laughing and remembering why they loved baseball in the first place. And the fans ate.it.up. (Bananaball is all about entertaining the fans, first and foremost – and the sellout crowds confirm they’re on the right track.)
Why am I going on and on about baseball? What does it have to do with writing?
It’s easy to get wrapped up in being A Serious Writer. We have Big Dreams for our writing. We want to make it in the Majors – be a bestselling author, win awards, get a nice visiting writer gig, be asked to speak at conferences... It’s easy to lose sight of the joy of creating stories. Sometimes, too, the topic we’re writing about isn’t exactly light-hearted. It’s hard to be in that head-space for the months (or years) it takes to write the book.
Bananaball helps us remember a few things:
Love the process. Keep developing your skills, but also have fun. Bananaballers (and their rivals, the Party Animals) are serious players. Some are on their way to the big leagues, some have come from there. They practice their baseball skills as well as their dance routines. They have to love both in order to be a Banana or a Party Animal.
Appreciate the fact that you showed up for writing. In Bananaball, at the end of every game, after the kick-line, the players are introduced and thanked like they’re performing in a play. You don’t have to do any high kicks, I promise, but simply thanking yourself for showing up puts you in a positive frame of mind. Celebrate any small wins! You showed up for your writing today? Win! You wrote 1,000 words? You didn’t write any words but figured out your main character’s real arc of change? Win! After a while, the habit of congratulating yourself on your small wins will make you more likely to sit down and write. You’ll begin to associate writing with the dopamine hit of reward – WIN!
Age is just a number, and there is no “Destination” you should arrive at by a particular age. Bananaball players, as I’ve said, span a whole range of ages. And then there’s the cheerleading squad – the Banana Nanas – who are all over 65. Nobody told them being a cheerleader and a nana was impossible. Don’t compare yourself to anybody else, or worry if you’re on some “genius under 45” list. As long as you’re alive and you get to create, you’re winning.
When you’re out there creating, it’s not just about the writer. It’s about the reader – the audience for your work. Sure, you can create whatever you want, but ultimately if you want to connect with readers, you need to keep your ideal reader in mind. Bananaball works because they focus on the fans. What do you want your reader to experience from reading your work?
Don’t forget to PLAY! Try different things: different genres, different forms of writing, different sentence structures, new topics you haven’t written about before. When you’re feeling like your writing is dull and your creativity needs a spark, try something different. You never know what might come out if it. Surprise is a terrific way to ignite creativity. Bananaball is never boring, because the players keep thinking of new ways to entertain the crowd. Some work, others don’t, but the point is maximum enjoyment, for players and fans.
And seriously, check out Bananaball, even if you’re not generally a baseball fan. They will put a smile on your face, I guarantee it.
