The Writer’s Dance
"You can dance anywhere, even if only in your heart." ~Unknown
I’m a mega-fan of the television show, So You Think You Can Dance. It’s a fabulous platform for young dancers to showcase their diverse styles, dreams and desires. (This pertains to writing, I promise. Stay with me… hee hee)
Some dancers are confident, with years of training behind them, while others are searching for guidance to improve their skills. Whether their strength lies in experience, performance, technical training, or a blend of these factors—they all expose their souls on the stage. Each dancer is unique, yet they all share a common bond. Passion.
Writers understand a dancer’s passion. We don’t express it with technical steps, precise gestures, or flexible movements. We use words. Writers have different styles, strengths and abilities; yet, like dancers, we share the bond of passion.
Below, I’ve listed several styles of dance and their parallel writing styles. Which dance-writing styles fit you?
Lyrical Dance
"It takes an athlete to dance, but an artist to be a dancer." ~Shanna La Fleur
Dancers are slow and rhythmic, conveying a precise theme throughout their arrangement.
As a writer, do you write at a deliberate, fluid pace? Is there usually a central theme behind your story?
Crunk
"Dancing can reveal all the mystery that music conceals." ~Charles Baudelaire
Dancers are pumped up, electrical performers. Their performances focus on their athleticism, and their interpretation to bass music rather than lyrics.
Are you a crunker? Are your stories Action-driven rather than character-driven?
Modern Dance
“Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain.” ~Unknown
Dancers concentrate on expressing their inner feelings, and defy the strong rules of classical ballet. They delve into deep emotions and display a dramatic and personal presentation.
Are your characters incensed at wrong-doings? Do they survive catastrophic incidences, or are they searching for inner-strength to overcome tragedy?
Folk Dance
"Dancers aren't made of their technique, but their passion." ~Unknown
These dancers have little or no professional training. They learn by observing others. Although they may evolve into public performances, folk dancers aren’t seeking to be center stage.
Have you dabbled with prose through the years and thought about taking the plunge into authoring a book? Are you a new writer who’s trying to stay afloat in a sea of inexperience, information, and insecurity? If you’re testing the waters, so-to-speak, you might relate to the folk dancer.
Robot Dance
“Fall seven times, stand up eight.” ~Japanese Proverb
Those who robot dance are specialists in short, stop and go movements.
If you’ve stopped writing long enough to have forgotten your characters names, or have several unfinished stories boxed up in the back of your closet, you might be a robot-writer.
Jitterbug
"You can dance anywhere, even if only in your heart." ~Unknown
This dance is fast, fun and exhilarating. It has swift bouncy movements that stimulate an enlivening, heart-pounding, sensation.
All writers fit the jitterbug. We write because we love that jitterbuggy feeling of being inspired and moving others.
Dance-Writer
"To watch us dance is to hear our hearts speak" ~Indian Proverb
So, you think you can write?
If you’ve postponed going to bed by ‘five more minutes’ to finish a sentence, and suddenly find it’s time to eat breakfast…
If you’ve had the ‘staring at a blank document until your eyes bleed’ kind of writer’s block…
If you’ve re-written your re-re-re-written manuscript…
Then you might be a dance writer.
"We dance for laughter, we dance for tears, we dance for madness, we dance for fears, we dance for hopes, we dance for screams, we are the dancers, we create the dreams." ~Unknown
~Nic
0 comments:
Post a Comment