Shall We Dance?

How often do we ponder our place in the world?

Some of us do so daily, others never, and most of us do so on occasion.

As writers, we have the good fortune of knowing our lot in life, and I daresay we exist solely for our readers.

Suffice it to say that as a parent I exist for my children, but at the moment—for the purposes of this blog—I present my case as a writer.

The relationship between reader and writer is unique in that a reader initially bestows upon us writers a certain unearned trust.

Akin to a blind date; a dance with a stranger; a kiss in the rain, under a bridge, on a long walk on a Sunday afternoon with someone we just met.

There’s something that captivates us about strangers and the unknown. Is it the mystery of the unfamiliar, the romantic unveiling of kismet, or merely enchantment passing through?

Whatever the ambiguous premise is that elicits our interest, the fact is that we all take chances. A writer takes a chance by beginning a story without knowing how it will end, and a reader takes a chance by doing the same thing.

This is when that trust must be earned, during the dance between the reader and the writer, a merging of the minds and a nexus between the souls.

We will seduce you with words, and lure you in as we paint you a picture of what promises to be the beginning of a beautiful relationship. We will whisper eloquent passages and swirl you with plot twists that will leave you bewildered. We will try to make you think, and hope that we have made you wonder. And in the end when the dance is over, and the song of story has concluded, we hope you will trust us to dance again.

Earning a reader’s trust is quite the challenge, one that begins with query letters and agents. As writers, we continue to develop our craft, perfecting our dance and rehearsing by way of revisions. It takes time, it takes years, and in some cases it takes our lives. As writers, this is what we live for, a passion we will pursue throughout our lives, and we will often make the greatest sacrifices to that end.

To ensure our readers will return, it is incumbent upon us writers to establish our rhythm and captivate our audience with the pacing and ingenuity of our prose. It is a creative process that forces us to reach deep into our hearts, and that is the beauty of what we do; because from true love comes pure passion.

This is our lot in life: the dancers of discourse, and the scribes of literary symphonies. We accept this fate with thick skin and blind faith; because we once contemplated our place in the world and discovered that writing is what we were born to do.

Now, my friends, the storyteller’s song is playing. Shall we dance?

“Many people shy away from dancing because they ‘don’t know how to dance.’ But real dancers are the ones who can hear the music in their soul.” ~Unknown