The improbable happened during this past Super Bowl with a decided underdog winning over the perfect team. But it wasn’t as improbable as you might think and no, I am not a big Giants fan. Basically, the Patriots were playing for destiny but the Giants were playing with house money. That is players playing with house money are not constrained by expectations. They are unexpectedly ahead so what the hell, why not keep pressing the envelope by continuing to play? In sports there is an end to a season but in Vegas they build empires counting on that singular human behavior and realize most players, i.e. gamblers, play until they lose.

So what does this have to do with writing? Writing should be of a similar bent. How often do we hear that reality is often stranger than fiction? As writers, do we as a community play it safe when we write because we are constrained by the parameters and norms of society? The greatest writers are not constrained by the norms of society or the media because they listen to their own inner voice. They are playing with house money because they have nothing to lose and at some point in their careers they came to that realization and found it liberating. That’s both the goal and the struggle for any author; to learn how to play with house money. By the way if you think sports has nothing to do with writing you never read “A Fan’s Notes” by Frederick Exley, 1972. Highly recommended.