The 2026 Olympics and Paralympics in Milan wrapped up a few weeks ago, which means I won’t have my emotional support athletes to make me happy cry on a daily basis. I’m not a big sports person–far from it!–but I love the Olympics. So many of the athletes are regular people in their non-Olympics lives, with non-sports jobs, and they only get this kind of media focus during the games. Largely, they’re not making a ton of money from their sport. They’re doing it because they love it and want to give it their all.
I always follow the figure skating because that’s a personal favorite, and this year was one of the best Olympics viewing experiences I can remember. It wasn’t because of the medal count or the scores. It was the people who made these Olympics meaningful.
Which brings me to today’s topic: lessons writers can learn from 2026 Winter Olympians.
You’re in Charge of Your Career
Alysa Liu was the big winner this year, but it came after a lot of struggle and stress and doubt. She’d been skating since she was five and had been extremely competitive as a young skater. She was obviously very talented and the figure skating culture around her encouraged training at the expense of rest and nourishment. She lacked control over her performances as a young skater and, even though she did extremely well in competition, she ended up burnt out and retired at 16.
When she decided to return to the ice, she knew she’d have to do things differently. She would listen to her body, including knowing how to fuel herself and how hard she needed to train and how much rest she needed as a result. She was active in putting together her own routines and embraced her unique style. All of that resulted in the most dynamic and exciting freeskate in the history of the world.
As writers, it can be easy to think there’s a ‘right’ path to success. If you only write in a buzzy genre. If you only post three new TikToks every day. If you only write even when you’re sick and you have work piled up from your day job and never complain. Success doesn’t have a ‘right’ path and if you keep trying to chase that hot genre or run yourself ragged, even if you manage to have a smash bestseller, you won’t be able to enjoy it because your heart wasn’t in it or because you’re too exhausted to care. Embrace your own Alysa Liu and a) respect your boundaries and health, and b) write the thing you feel deeply called to write, because that joy and meaning will shine through for readers.
Lift Each Other Up
The standout feeling of figure skating at the 2026 Olympics didn’t have to do with “quad god” Ilia Malinin or Amber Glenn’s triple axels. Instead, it had to with the skaters themselves and how they approached the spirit of competition. it had to do with the supportive and joyful vibes that the skaters were bringing to the competition. They were all working hard and doing their best to win a gold medal, but they also saw each other as people, not just competitors.
From Amber Glenn blocking cameras so competitor Kaori Sakamoto could have a private, tearful moment to Ilia Malinin congratulating gold medalist Mikhail Shaidorov on his win after Malinin had an extremely tough program to Alysa Liu jumping up and down in joy with bronze medalist Ami Nakai to everyone surrounding Max Naumov with love after the loss of his parents, the energy in skating was all about how skaters can do their best individually and still support one another.
Whether you’re skating or writing, it’s very easy to get jealous of others’ success or think that you succeed alone. In a recent New York Times article about AI-generated romance novels, the generator was quoted as saying “‘If I can generate a book in a day, and you need six months to write a book, who’s going to win the race?'” Except writing isn’t a race. Someone else’s successful book doesn’t negate your book. Readers are going to want to read more than one book–likely, more than one kind of book. And if you’re approaching other authors like they’re just the competition, you’re missing out on a) seriously awesome friendships, b) connecting with other people who really get it, and c) having a valuable support system in this very difficult business of publishing. The authors who show up for other authors are my favorite.
Be Proud of the Medals You Get
Freestyle skier Eileen Gu became the most decorated female freeskier in Olympcis history when she won two new silver medals in Milan. After her win, a reporter asked whether she considered her new medals “two silvers gained or two golds lost.” Gu’s response was perfect:
“I’m the most decorated female freeskier in history. I think that’s an answer in and of itself… Winning a medal at the Olympics is a life-changing experience for every athlete. Doing it five times is exponentially harder, because every medal is equally hard for me, but everybody else’s expectations rise, right? So, the two medals lost situation, to be quite frank with you, I think, is kind of a ridiculous perspective to take. I’m showcasing my best skiing. I’m doing things that quite literally have never been done before, and so I think that is more than good enough, but thank you.”
I love the part about ‘everybody else’s expectations rise. In writing, it’s so easy to keep moving the bar for yourself. First you just want to finish a draft. Then revise it enough to feel confident querying. Then get an agent. Then get a book deal. Then a starred review. Then another book. Then a movie option. And on and on and on. It’s even harder when your professional circle is other writers–it’s easy to think that everyone writes a book or gets an agent or a book deal. But whether you have a bestselling book with a blockbuster movie or you just finished your first draft, you get to be proud of yourself. You achieved a big goal, one that most people don’t get to achieve. They all don’t have to be silver medals. You can enjoy every medal you get.
What I’ve Been Reading
I recently finished Wolf Hall, which I picked up after watching the phenomenal miniseries on Masterpiece. The miniseries takes so much from the book and builds on the characters and situations even more, which was super satisfying.
I also finally got around to A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, which was a delight. I love T. Kingfisher’s books and this was the perfect blend of magic and sweetness.
Thoughts about your favorite Olympics moments? Other recent reads you’ve enjoyed? Share them in the comments!