I write word sketches—as in what Terry Eagleton described when speaking of Formalism and how they defined “literature”: “a set of deviations from the norm, a kind of linguistic violence.” You Substackers write literature. Hella fine stuff filled with beauty and violence on the status quo of language and rhetoric. My text at its best stands alone in parallel to the art that inspired it. Like re-stacking through an alternate universe. And then, sometimes, I get the opp to turn the written into something oral, staged, performed. This requires new vision on the writing: re-vision, because I know to focus on my purpose with some understanding of my audience. It also demands I renew my commitment to the work. A live audience can be daunting if you let them. But where to draw the line in your confidence and abilities? When not to re-introduce yourself to your vulnerabilities? Put your feet on the foundation of your talent, refine your presentation, step up to the mic, flaw your way through it with a show-time mindset, and create a feedback loop from which to fall forward better. That’s not just squeezing all you can from your creations
its progress for your spirit, for the soul of your essential spark.
