Professional Athlete and Writer

Nick Bandurak

Nick Bandurak thinking through his work.

Writer. International Hockey Player.

Exploring creativity, performance and the stories that connect them.

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Featured Writing

Latest Essay

Essays
The Draft That Changed Its Author
The Draft That Changed Its Author

It was quite a surreal feeling to hit ‘save’ for the final time on my first draft. I did so in the quiet of my kitchen with no one else at home. My coffee was sat alongside me and my dog was sleeping on the sofa.

Latest Postcard

Postcards
Postcards From Camp #1
Postcards From Camp #1

A quiet train platform in the early hours at the start of a trip is a breeding ground for more than just imagery.

Nick Bandurak in his Team England kit before the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

I’m an international hockey player for England and Great Britain, and an aspiring novelist.

For a long time, I thought those were two separate parts of my life.

One demanded intensity, structure and performance.

The other asked for patience, uncertainty and imagination.

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Essays

Essays
The Draft That Changed Its Author
The Draft That Changed Its Author

It was quite a surreal feeling to hit ‘save’ for the final time on my first draft. I did so in the quiet of my kitchen with no one else at home. My coffee was sat alongside me and my dog was sleeping on the sofa.

Read more →
When Momentum Changes Shape
When Momentum Changes Shape

Momentum is a funny concept. 

It’s an intangible that I’ve heard thrown around at will throughout my sporting career. To many, it’s a cop out. It’s often an unexplainable phenomenon that can swing moments, matches, tournaments or seasons into a frenzied cyclone of disarray. 

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Listening For Language
Listening For Language

My relationship with literature and language stretches back to a date long before my recent ventures into the world of creative fiction. Such an affinity to the world is by no means revolutionary, however my propinquity throughout my youth was perpetuated by a consistent and measured immersion in music.

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2025 in Review
2025 in Review

This one is a little bit more personal. I take a look at the year based on the pillars that form the structure to my life.

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Structure v Freedom
Structure v Freedom

Too much structure, and the life you breathe into your characters struggles to survive.

Too little structure, and the lines dissolve into the abyss, allowing the creativity and imagination to go unchecked.

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When The Whistle Stops
When The Whistle Stops

Throughout my career, the pitch has been my measure of effort and success. Now, it’s a blank page that asks me do it for myself. Learning to self-direct, without the clarity of winning or losing has been the hardest yet most liberating shift of all.

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From Pitch to Page…
From Pitch to Page…

From Pitch to Page is an acknowledgement of the bridge that connects the two worlds that I inhabit and a series through which I can share the mechanisms that fuel them.

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Speech v Novel
Speech v Novel

An insight into the similarities and differences in writing a speech and a fictional Novel.

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Socials

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View fullsize 💤 So things have been pretty dormant on here for a while… ✍️ Over the past few months I’ve made the decision to focus all the time I can on completing my manuscript. It’s taken a while but, 9️⃣5️⃣K words later, the day has fina
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View fullsize ✍️ NEW BLOG ✍️ I’ve had a lot of questions about how I developed this passion for writing. The answer was always there in front of me, it just took a little time to materialise into its’ current form 🎧 ➡️ Link in bio ⬅️ #NewBlog #AmW
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View fullsize 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣ Commitments 🤝 A new year brings new opportunities to start afresh. After some reflection through this first week, these are my 5 big resolutions to make this year even better than the last; 1️⃣ Read More 📖 2️⃣ Consistent Writing ✍️
View fullsize 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣5️⃣ This post has a more personal approach, taking a look at the year across 3 of the main pillars that provide the framework to my life. If you fancy a read about major surgery and💩 on walls, the link is in the bio 📖 #YearInReview #20
View fullsize Fancy a sneak preview?! 👀 I’ll be releasing an excerpt from my next release which goes into just how I ended up with a passion for language and literature exclusively to my mailing list. ⏳ There’s still time to sign up before the New
View fullsize Reading and writing setups in the run up to Xmas 👌 @toastoxted 🤝 @roseswestmalling Can’t beat refreshing the writing space 🙌 #WritingSpace #Writing #HarlanCoben
View fullsize 📘 The third volume of #FromPitchToPage is now live! ✍️ I take a look at the balance of structure v freedom in writing and sport, blurring the lines for freedom of creativity. Link in bio #TheFalseDivide #Blog #NewBlog #VolumeThree #AmWriting
View fullsize 💭 A daily thought on the void that accompanies creative writing from the second edition of the #FromPitchToPage series. #WhenTheWhistleStops #AMWriting
View fullsize 📗 The second volume of #FromPitchToPage is now live! ✍️ I take a look at the void of uncertainty that engulfs both sport and writing and the concept of redefining progress in this new space. Link in bio #WhenTheWhistleStops #Blog #NewBlog #AmWri