You will be a successful writer when....
Eli Gold is a well-known sportscaster; well known, that is,
if you’re a fan of NASCAR, Hockey, the National Football League, or, my personal
favorite, Alabama football. Don’t stop reading if you’re not into
sports. Chances are you are a writer
and that’s what this post is about –
writing.
It came to me as I was going to sleep last night that when I
can write the way Eli Gold calls an Alabama football game, then I will be the
writer I intend to be.
I remember my uncle watching Alabama on TV while listening
to Eli call the action on the radio. I
asked him why he didn’t just listen to the television sportscasters. He gave me a sidelong,
you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me look, picked up the remote, unmuted the sound, and
we both listened to the network announcers for twenty seconds. Then I motioned for the remote. He handed it to me and I pushed the mute
button. “OK, I’ve got it,” I said.
If you’re serious about writing but you hate football,
gut it up for two minutes and eleven seconds.
Click on this link now and play the video to the end. http://tinyurl.com/k6ghc. I promise
you will love it – especially his comments about being in the moment at the end
of the clip. Whether sports
casting or writing, when you are true to yourself, you will be in the now that
Eli talked about. You will be there with
each word, and everyone will want to be there with you.
That’s the difference between the Eli Gold and the regular TV sportscasters. For writers, it’s the difference between
success and slush pile. Eli Gold not
only paints the picture, he puts the listener into it. For a writer to do that, they must go there
first. Only then can they bring their
readers along.
I did some research and discovered that Eli Gold is
exactly what he seems to be – a man who is doing what he’s always wanted to do
and doing it well. In other words, Eli
Gold is happy with himself. Eli was born
in Brooklyn in 1953. From the beginning,
he wanted to be a sportscaster. He
started with hockey, then NASCAR (which he still does) and in 1989 he became the voice of the Crimson Tide. Last month he signed a contract extension
that will take him through 2017. In
addition, he is a professional speaker and the author of three books: Bear’s
Boys, Crimson Nation, and From Peanuts to the Pressbox.
In an interview recorded two years ago he said, “There is
not a single textbook in the world that can teach you how to broadcast a hockey
game or a football game. You have to
take a chance. You have to go out and do
what you have to do. If you have a dream
you must pursue it.”
When I combine those two things in my mind it comes out
this way – You have to follow your calling.
You have to do the right thing; either one without the other is a waste
of time. Nevil Shute, my all-time
favorite author wrote about men and women who always did the right thing and I’ve
followed his lead. If that idea appeals
to you check out my books at www.bertcarson.com
