I Learned to Write From Watching the Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are Super Bowl bound yet again.
The thrill never gets old. Possibly because the Steelers know how build tension and create drama better than most thriller writers. We never seem to play some boring old blow-out game. Never mind that minutes before halftime, the score last night was Steelers 24-Jets 0. Like a good mystery/suspense/thriller writer, they had to throw in a twist at the midpoint by letting the Jets get a momentum shifting field goal.
Then came the second half. The Jets scraped and clawed their way back into the game and the Steelers seemed content to let them. Just to keep us fans on the edge of our seats. One never falls asleep in front of the TV during a Steelers game.
I’ve learned a lot about writing a good page-turner by watching Steelers football games over the years. Never mind that about half of my gray hairs can be directly attributed to this team I affectionately refer to as “the Cardiac Kids.” The big lesson is keep the fan—or reader—guessing until the very last minute—or page.
Having said that, for the sake of my blood pressure and heart health, I’m hoping the Steelers blast the Packers 141-0 in the Super Bowl. It ain’t gonna happen, but I can always dream.
My real prediction? Steelers by 3. Possibly in overtime.
Go Steelers!
The thrill never gets old. Possibly because the Steelers know how build tension and create drama better than most thriller writers. We never seem to play some boring old blow-out game. Never mind that minutes before halftime, the score last night was Steelers 24-Jets 0. Like a good mystery/suspense/thriller writer, they had to throw in a twist at the midpoint by letting the Jets get a momentum shifting field goal.
Then came the second half. The Jets scraped and clawed their way back into the game and the Steelers seemed content to let them. Just to keep us fans on the edge of our seats. One never falls asleep in front of the TV during a Steelers game.
I’ve learned a lot about writing a good page-turner by watching Steelers football games over the years. Never mind that about half of my gray hairs can be directly attributed to this team I affectionately refer to as “the Cardiac Kids.” The big lesson is keep the fan—or reader—guessing until the very last minute—or page.
Having said that, for the sake of my blood pressure and heart health, I’m hoping the Steelers blast the Packers 141-0 in the Super Bowl. It ain’t gonna happen, but I can always dream.
My real prediction? Steelers by 3. Possibly in overtime.
Go Steelers!
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