How Playing Darts Can Help Your Writing

The other night, while out to dinner with friends, we went upstairs to the bar area and began playing darts. When my husband told me it was my turn, I whined. “Do I have to? Can’t I just watch?”

I’ve never been good at darts. Truth: I’m terrible at it. When I throw, my dart is more likely to land on the floor than the target.  This particular night was no different.

As I played, I could feel myself getting irritated. I wanted to go home. I thought people were watching me, making fun of my poor dart throwing skills.

I’ve had this feeling enough times to know where it comes from. It’s a fear of messing up in front of others. Fear of public humiliation. I don’t mind making mistakes in private, but I hate when others see me make mistakes.

Another truth: I’ve never really tried to excel at darts. And that’s why I’m so bad at it.

Maybe some people are dart prodigies, but I believe it is more likely that some people play a lot and get better by practicing.

You can see the connection to writing, right?

There are several other things I’m really bad at (cooking, lifting weights, kayaking) and all of those things that I don’t really work to get better at. I could become more skilled in any of those areas. I’m capable. But I don’t try.

Writing is the same way. For the people who complain that their writing is bad and whine that they can’t do it, the only thing I can ever really recommend is for them to keep doing it. They will get better if they want to. If they try, it can only get better.

For example, my dart story actually has a happy ending.  

That night, I continued to play and finally loosened up enough to have fun. I could make fun of myself for bad throws and I could cheer on my husband (my teammate) while playfully competing with our friends.

And I started to improve. In just one game, without any formal training, I eventually started hitting the board.

Then, as of by a miracle (or beginner’s luck), I hit the bulls eye and won the game. I’m not even lying or giving this story a fiction writer’s creative spin. I repeat: I hit the bulls eye and won the game.

It may not ever happen again, but I know now that I could get better at darts if I wanted to. There is no reason I couldn’t be as skilled a player as my friends or all those other people at the bar.

Think of your writing (or whatever you’re struggling with) in the same way.  No one is watching you or laughing at you.

 Just start writing.