Reading and Writing About Boxing

You have a book report or writing assignment due in class. 

The first struggle that you have is what to write about.  In my years of writing, I have always found it easier to write about something that interests me.  If you are reading this site, that is probably amateur boxing.  Problem one is solved.  Its a pretty broad topic that can covers all the positive and some of the negative aspects of human nature.  Think about your own boxing and all that you have experienced as a result--fear, joy, courage, camaraderie (the sense of belonging to a team), the necessary drudgery of training--a lot to cover in an essay.  So narrow it down.  If the assignment is a biographical sketch (a story about someone's life) talk to your coach, or think about one of your team mates and why they got into boxing.

Before you start to write, do some reading to see how other authors and story tellers approached the subject.  The book, Muscle Bound, by Mel Cebulash, is an easy-to-read story about a high school student and weight lifter, Johnny Chicolino, faced with the dilemma of whether or not to box Bobby Saxon--a much more experienced boxer.  Both boys have to struggle to overcome conflicts with each other and within themselves. 

While reading this story for a book ask the questions who is involved, what is going on in the story, why is it happening, and how does it happen.  If you are writing a story, reading this book may give you ideas about plot (how a story unfolds), setting (where the story takes place), characters (who in involved), and dialog (conversation between the characters).  When you see how an author fits all these parts of a story, you can begin to think how to do it with your story.  Remember, your story will be simpler and shorter.

Muscle Bound by Mel Cebulash and illustrated by Duane Krych.  Published in 1993 by The Child's World, Inc. 123 South Broad Street, Mankato, MN 56001.  ISBN 0-89565-883-6

Still need an idea for the story?  No matter how hard you try, the words just won't come?  You have something called "writer's block."  Most writers experience it at sometime or another.  So what do you do?  Try structuring your writing.  The book, Where Do You Get Your Ideas, author Sandy Asher notes there are several ways to write a story, but offers young writers a method that is based on three steps, choose the main character, describe the problem, find the solution.

Choosing the Main Character

A.  Who or what is the main character of the story?  Think about the main character in a story that you like.  Choose a main character and give him or her a name.

B.  What do you like or know about the main character? 
What does the character look like?
Where does he or she live?
Is the character nice or mean?
How old is the character?
What kind of family does the character have?
What does this character like to or not like to do?

C.  Begin your story by telling your readers all about your new character.  Try to answer as many of these questions as you can, but realize that not every story requires you to answer all of them.  Be sure to include details that allow the reader to taste, touch, see, smell, or hear what the character does.  These make the story come alive for the reader.

Describe the Problem

A.  Stories become exciting and interesting when the character faces a problem and then needs to figure out how to get out of it.  A character can have all kinds of problems with school, friends, family, nature, or even themselves.  In dealing with this problem, the character may be afraid, sad, happy, angry, hurt, or jealous--the list is endless.  Think of your own experiences and add to it.  Decide what one problem the character will deal with in the story.

B.  As soon as you have decided on the problem, you have to figure out what you want your readers to know about the problem.  Asher lists several questions that readers like to have answered.
---What exactly is the problem?
---How, where, and when did the trouble begin?
---How long has it been going on?
---How does the character feel about it?
---Is anyone else involved in the problem?  In what way?  How to they feel?

C.  To describe the character's problem, answer as many of these questions as you can.  Add any other details to help the reader understand how things are for your character in trouble.

Find the Solution

A.  How many tries will it take your character to get out of trouble.  If the think of a solution and it doesn't work what happens.  Asher suggests three tries, with the third one a success, should be about right.

B.  How do people go about trying to deal with the problem?
---By thinking it through?
---By getting help from someone else?
---By fighting, running away, or talking it over with whoever is causing the problem?
---By changing something about themselves or trying to get others involved in the problem to change?
---By starting over in a new way, giving up, or learning something new?

C.  Many things may stand in the way of the character dealing with the problem.
---Shortcomings inside themselves, such as fear, cowardice, shyness, dishonesty.
---Interference from other people who may be angry, jealous, cruel, in competition or who simply don't understand.
---Physical obstacles such as distance, time, climate, nature, and so on.
---Bad luck.

D.  Keep things simple.  All the things in the list can't happen to the character in the space of a short story or essay.  Asher suggests that you pick three. 
---For the first and second try at solving the problem, describe what your characters tried, show how and why it didn't work, and how your character felt. 
---Describe the third and last attempt.  Develop the detail since this will be the one that works!  The feelings this time are those that come with success.

Finally, now that your story is done, pick a title.

Writing the Story

Inspiration for a story can come from any source.  To see how the best writers practice their craft, I recommend that you get and read the books, Best Sports Stories, published each year for decades by E.P. Dutton Publishers.  Most libraries have a copy from at least one year.  Inside the covers of the book you will find the best sports stories and photographs for that year.  Notice how the journalists use the words to hold the reader's attention while telling the reader what is going on in the story.  Also, notice the quality sport photography in each edition.  Few if any of the pictures were posed, but all were well composed.  Your writing or photography can be as good as theirs someday, but it takes good basic writing skills and practice, practice, practice.

The Photo Essay

One exercise that you can do to practice your writing for a school assignment may be to write a story about what is happening in a picture.  Take the two pictures below.  They both feature boxing action.  Think about what is going on in each image.  Who is in the pictures? How did the characters end up at that point?  What will the outcome be?  Now, jot down ideas using the points listed above.  Once you done this, you have all the material you need to write a story. Tell your teacher what you are doing.  As you write the story, talk to them about writing style, sentence structure, and grammar.  I predict a few things will happen.  They will be very pleased you are working hard on the assignment, they will be very helpful.  You will work very hard, being a good writer is not easy, being a poor writer comes naturally.  You will have a lot of fun.  And, if you keep doing it, you will become a better writer.  Of course, when the teacher sees the last sentence, they will remind you a sentence should not start with a conjunction like "And."

Two Boys Boxing.  From the Vintage Images collection at www.lycos.com.  See website for use restrictions.

The Sandman Cometh by Charles G. Kirman, Chicago Sun Times.  The sandman was merely knocking, but the blow that finally put our grimacing boxer to sleep was the one that followed.  It happened in the Chicago Junior Boxing Championship.  Copyright (c), 1976, Field Enterprises.  Photo appeared in Best Sports Stories 1977, Edited by Irving T. Marsh and Edward Ehre.  Published by E.P. Dutton, New York (c) 1977

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