An All American open

So, my next project is tentatively titled "All-American Linebacker"

This is a story I came up with some time ago which I had originally thought of as something like "The Redemption of The Hammer" with "Hammer" being the nickname of the lead character. But I thought that a little too obscure in reference to what the book was about.

Hammer is a linebacker; he goes through the trials and tribulations of being a highly decorated high school athlete who struggles to adapt to college. Along the way he goes through a multitude of well-chronicled high profile issues and it is his redemption, and finally finding love and his true self which really set his story apart.


The thing is, this will be a bit more mainstream than my previous two novels. It is relevant and there will be some poignant stories of love and redemption. I will still likely put my philosophical approach into the book, but that is something that I am compelled to do as a writer.

Last night I took some notes on what I want the open to look like, so here is the first three paragraphs of the story.

Green. An endlessness of green – that is what I remember most about stepping on to the field. With each moment passing moment every game floods my mind. My senses – sight, smell, and touch – are intimately intertwined with thoughts of the brisk fall days of childhood. Fireplaces gently reminding me of a past before there was a hammer, or the roar of a crowd.

As a child, the voice of my dad; the voice of my brother; those were the only roars that mattered. Like every player I thought I was living the dream as I stepped onto endless green for that first practice as a professional football player. The truth is that I had always been living a dream.

Hyperbole being what it is, all too frequently, the truth of any moment tends to be an exaggeration of our own creation and self-importance. That hyperbole feeds the beast within so many of us as athletes and people. When we look in the mirror, the reflection we see is exaggerated by the affirmation laid upon our feet. We are adored; we are pampered and spoiled. And we are ruined.

Would love feedback on this concept. You can leave it in the comment section below or on my Facebook page.