Soccer Writing

Typing Between the Goal Cheers and the Hailstorm—Yes, I’m Still Writing This Book

Apparently, writing needs calm. A desk. A cup of tea. Some kind of atmosphere that doesn’t involve yelling or weather alerts.

I had a plastic chair, sideways wind, my laptop wobbling on a snack box, and a soccer ball that nearly concussed me during the second half.

So… sure.

I was the mom with one eye on the midfield and the other in a scene about bioengineered lungs and emotionally scrambled robots. I clapped when someone scored, yelled, “Great hustle!” on cue, and typed like a lunatic during halftime.

And then, because the universe has a sense of humor—hail.

Sideways hail.

Falling from what I can only assume was a rogue cumulonimbus in orbit.

Did I shut my laptop? Nope.
Did I keep typing with frozen fingers while blinking sleet off the screen? Of course.
Was my character also getting wrecked by metaphorical weather in that scene? Naturally.

Because The Mindborn keeps showing up, even when real life throws a storm at it.

Writing rarely waits for silence. It wedges itself into the chaos. Between shouts, snacks, sideline drama, and weather events. And somehow, it still grows.

The past two weeks gave me some wins:
A tricky scene finally made sense. A certain therapy bot did something that made my inner science geek feel seen. And yes, there was a line that nearly broke me in a parking lot. (I’ll spare you spoilers. But yeah. It hit hard.)

So no, it’s not always clean. Or dry. Or predictable.
But the story’s alive.

And if you’re chasing something of your own—a project, a dream, a wildly ambitious idea—don’t wait for calm.

Some of the best work happens in the middle of real life. Right there on the edge of the field, between the thunder and the cheer.