“Lots and lots of things scare me but you just get on with it. Fright can transform into petrol, you just have to use it to your advantage.”
- Dame Judy Dench
- Dame Judy Dench
Happy New Year everyone! That's us over half-way through January now and we've made it past Blue Monday - well done! I hope 2023's treating you kindly so far.
Before I bat about a few thoughts on performing your work, a wee reminder of the event I'll be at with the rest of Scotland's City Makars on Thursday evening. I know a few of you had tickets back before the event was postponed. I look forward to hopefully seeing you in Edinburgh at the Scottish Poetry library this week! If you're not able to go, then please do let the SPL know so they can open up your space to someone else who might like to come along. It was fully booked very quickly last year! (to book your place, here's the link: Scottish Poetry Library)
Some of you will know that I'm also performing this weekend at the Tolbooth in Stirling (free, no booking required: 1.30 till 2 or 2.30 till 3). I'm planning up something unconventional as a Robert Burns celebration. And when you do something unusual, it takes time to prepare. I've not done a session on Burns for a long time - so I'm a little nervous!
Performing as a troupe takes a good bit of coordination as well. And this is the first time the Makars have performed together at the Scottish Poetry Library - and to a big crowd! So again - I'm nervous!
So it's a busy and exciting week.
(read on below for tips and reflections)
Before I bat about a few thoughts on performing your work, a wee reminder of the event I'll be at with the rest of Scotland's City Makars on Thursday evening. I know a few of you had tickets back before the event was postponed. I look forward to hopefully seeing you in Edinburgh at the Scottish Poetry library this week! If you're not able to go, then please do let the SPL know so they can open up your space to someone else who might like to come along. It was fully booked very quickly last year! (to book your place, here's the link: Scottish Poetry Library)
Some of you will know that I'm also performing this weekend at the Tolbooth in Stirling (free, no booking required: 1.30 till 2 or 2.30 till 3). I'm planning up something unconventional as a Robert Burns celebration. And when you do something unusual, it takes time to prepare. I've not done a session on Burns for a long time - so I'm a little nervous!
Performing as a troupe takes a good bit of coordination as well. And this is the first time the Makars have performed together at the Scottish Poetry Library - and to a big crowd! So again - I'm nervous!
So it's a busy and exciting week.
(read on below for tips and reflections)
Here's a few things this writer is considering when it comes to performance:
A lot of writers, especially when starting out, feel a little (or a lot of) anxiety with the prospect of standing in front of an audience. We're often introverts by nature and enjoy hiding behind the page. But increasingly, publishers expect novelists to read at events such as Book Festivals, and poets, even page poets, perform their work at launches.
Spoken word nights are a great opportunity to meet other writers, be inspired, as well as learn from how others do it. So whether you want to or not, performing, whether you're a professional or aspiring writer, is worth learning about. It's worth attending a few.
Some absolutely brilliant page poets have been know to kill their poems in performance. Completely stop them dead. Carol Ann Duffy comes to mind. I once made the mistake of showing a video of her performing one of her own poems to a class - turned 30 teenagers off to her poetry within seconds. Whereas I was lucky enough to see Mike Garry, a poet from Manchester, perform a few years ago. His poetry, which didn't stun me from the page, was absolutely transformed by his persona and energy. Again - go along to some writing events and consider what kind of style would suit you and your writing. Then build up the courage to have a go yourself!
Nerves
Laura
A lot of writers, especially when starting out, feel a little (or a lot of) anxiety with the prospect of standing in front of an audience. We're often introverts by nature and enjoy hiding behind the page. But increasingly, publishers expect novelists to read at events such as Book Festivals, and poets, even page poets, perform their work at launches.
Spoken word nights are a great opportunity to meet other writers, be inspired, as well as learn from how others do it. So whether you want to or not, performing, whether you're a professional or aspiring writer, is worth learning about. It's worth attending a few.
Some absolutely brilliant page poets have been know to kill their poems in performance. Completely stop them dead. Carol Ann Duffy comes to mind. I once made the mistake of showing a video of her performing one of her own poems to a class - turned 30 teenagers off to her poetry within seconds. Whereas I was lucky enough to see Mike Garry, a poet from Manchester, perform a few years ago. His poetry, which didn't stun me from the page, was absolutely transformed by his persona and energy. Again - go along to some writing events and consider what kind of style would suit you and your writing. Then build up the courage to have a go yourself!
Nerves
- When it comes to dealing with nerves, my advice is to regard them as a good thing. The flip side of excitement.
- You're nervous because you care. You want this to be as good as possible. So prepare as well as possible. That'll take the edge off.
- Ground yourself. Take a deep breath. Stretch your feet so you feel the ground under you.
- Take advantage of your comfort zones/strengths. With 20 years of teaching under my belt, what I do is focus on the audience and what they need. This takes my focus away from my own feelings of awkwardness, embarrassment or anxiety and puts any excess excitement/nerves into a helpful position.
- And remember: it's all about the words - it's not about you - do your best to represent the story/poem as best you can, do it justice.
Laura
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