Author's note:
China is a nation with one of the world's oldest and most complex civilizations. And as a Chinese syndicated boxing writer contributing for a variety of newspapers, magazines and websites, I am honored to have the privilege to share with our readers some of my concepts on boxing column writing. After reading this article, you'll know how a Chinese boxing writer carries out his workout beyond the ring.
Readers Always Come First
There's a strong belief in my head that the reader is god. My ultimate goal as a boxing writer is to provide our readers with the best product — the article.
I am lucky enough to receive many feedbacks from my readers. They are the mirrors that reflect the light of your soul. They are the matches that ignite the imaginations of your heart. They are the fuels that propel the advancement of your craft.
After listening to the echoes from heaven attentively for quite a long time, I formed this golden concept: never ever underestimate the boxing knowledge of your readers. They are fanatic about the sport they love and their knowledge on boxing is huge.
However, that doesn't mean you sacrifice all your egos in serving your customers. You need to enjoy writing your stuff. Writing with passion might trigger your creative inspiration, keep you focused on your field and most importantly captivate your readers. If you can't captivate yourself, how could you capture your readers?
That reminds me of blog writing. I think one of the major differences between a columnist and a blogger is that a columnist needs to balance between your own interest and the reader's preference while a blogger most of the time only concentrate on himself.
I choose to write 70% for my readers and 30% for myself. That was the mental exercise I usually do before starting to write any boxing pieces. Readers always come first.
(This column originally appeared in The Boxing Times of the July 2, 2007 edition.)
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