While watching the show the other night, I noticed some similarities between dance as an art form, and writing. Dance is an art, as is theater, music, the visual arts, and of course the various literary arts. Each art can be performed with varying levels of creativity.
One of the points made by guest judge Lil' C was how each dancer, as an artist, interprets dance differently. They may each execute the same steps, but it’s how the dance is performed that makes the difference. Some dancers are superb technicians with impeccable timing, posture, extensions, and all the other myriad moves that are choreographed into a performance. But if their heart and style and individuality is left out, they won’t rise above the ordinary. Dancers who give it their all and let themselves feel the joy of dance, who pay less attention to their steps and more to how dance lifts their souls, are the ones who become extraordinary artists.
So I got to thinking about how writing is much the same way. I should change the title of this post to So You Think Can Write a Novel because writing, like dance, is interpreted different ways. There are superb technicians who are competent wordsmiths. Journalists and technical writers might fit in that camp. If you can write an excellent software manual, can you write an equally excellent novel?
Maybe.
Good skill in one area does not guarantee excellence in another even if it’s the same art. Aside from the X factor no one can quite put their finger on, when it comes to writing fiction, there’s so much more to it than good grammar and a knack for stringing sentences together. A great poet may be a poor storyteller, a fabulous storyteller may suck at journalism. I think it’s rare for a writer to be especially good at writing everything, but I’m sure there are exceptions.
By the way, I finally have excerpts from KNIGHT’S CURSE on my website for anyone who would like to check it out. And I hope you’ll come back to visit the blog tomorrow because I’ll be having a contest and one lucky winner will get a signed copy of KNIGHT’S CURSE. The book won’t officially be available for sale until August 23, but I haz books! Mmmhm. ☺
So tell me, writers, are you a good writer? Or are you a good storyteller? Do you think there’s a difference?
14 comments:
Fun post. I'm a good story teller. And, yes, I do believe there is a difference.
Me, too. :)
Thoughtful post. I am a good storyteller on paper. I get the words mixed up when I have to tell a story orally.
Same here, Karen. I organize my words better on paper than verbally on the fly. I can talk about writing for hours, but when it comes to telling a story, I need to write it down.
Good storyteller, good world builder, adequate writer ( improving.) My biggest challenge is that it's not LIVE. A big transition for a live music, live television, live theater guy. The idea of 2-3 years between the "performance" and the audience is unbearable.
I'm pretty much the same way in a recording studio.
Great post! I'm a storyteller through and through :)- and yes I think there's a difference. I think writing can be learned, but most storytellers were born that way ;)
Great post. I'm a SYTYCD fan also and often find parallels to my writing in dance. I also find them in other arts portrayed in reality TV - a comment by Tim Gunn on Project Runway once gave me the key to resolving a major writing problem.
Personally I consider myself a storyteller first and a technician second. But I feel the technical side of writing is critical to supporting the storytelling. I can't be as good a storyteller as I want to be if I don't master all the technical aspects of writing, so I constantly strive to improve in this area.
HI Karen. Nice post - and love the picture of the dancers, though the guy could use a little more meat on those bones. (ha).
I have a degree in Dance and was a dancer for years, and I write in a similar fashion to the way I used to choreograph. I write in rhythms, with breaths.
The way the lines look on the page matter to me. Each page has to end with my rhythm in tact. So I'd say I'm both... a writer (for the years of honing my craft and the attention I pay to it) and a story-teller, because I more than anything to love to wip up my tales.
You just can't take the creative gleam from a dancer/writer, even after the professional dancing days are over.
Thanks for the post. Glad I found it, because now I'm forward to your book. Need a good respite from my own deadlines for Nocturne.
Linda
www. lindathomas-sundstrom. com
Wow, Ron, i never looked at it from that angle. Live. Yikes! :)
Marie, i agree about that. Storytellers were born that way and they CAN learn to write.
Oh, yes, Janet. The technical side is essential. All artists need to learn that component of their craft for a chance to rise to excellence.
Linda, what an insightful comment, thanks so much! I get very emotional when i watch SYTYCD. Melanie is my fave this season.
I just finished preparing a proposal for nocturne so I'm very tuned in to that line. Now I MUST read one of your books. Thanks for commenting!
Excellent Post, Karen..Bobette and I are huge dance fans. Writing, like dance and all the arts, is subjective. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. As an editor, I get many submissions that are brilliantly written but lacking story structure and emotional impact. These writers didn't pour their heart into their work and got voted off the publishing show.
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