It's the Olympics!

I have a theory why the Olympics are so exciting (despite all the Zika gloom and doom leading up to them). It's the stories!

Olympics Writing Prompts

The Olympics Are About Stories

So much is at stake every day of the Olympics. This year, all eyes are fixed on the veteran Olympian hoping to clinch his last medal, the refugee who went from swimming for her life to swimming for gold, the gymnast finally getting her shot on the world stage.

Olympics Writing Prompts

U.S. Swimmer Katie Ledecky breaking 800-meter freestyle record. Courtesy of The New York Times.

We're excited and invested in the outcome not because we care about the numbers on the screen, but because we care about these individual people and their stories. The journeys that bring them to the podium are as interesting and important to us as the medals hanging around their necks.

Olympics Writing Prompts

Since the Olympics provide such great material for story writing, they obviously provide great material for writing prompts. I've provided several below. Try one and see where it takes you!

What event are you most excited to watch? Which Olympian's story are you excited to follow? Let me know in the comments.

PRACTICE

Take fifteen minutes to try one of these Olympics-inspired writing prompts.

  1. Write about a journey to the Olympics.
  2. Write about a sports-related triumph.
  3. Write about a sports-related defeat.
  4. Write about a moment in your life—but include the word “Olympics.”
  5. Write about what the Olympics means to you (if anything).

When you're done, share your practice in the comments and leave feedback for other writers.

Monica is a lawyer trying to knock out her first novel. She lives in D.C. but is still a New Yorker. You can follow her on her blog or on Twitter (@monicamclark).

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