Here I am at the Palm court in the Waldorf Hotel in London. My husband took me there a couple of weeks ago for a tea dance as part of my birthday present. It's not the first time we've been - we went three years ago and you can read the blog post I wrote about it called 'Waltzing at the Waldorf' here.
What a wonderful time we had! We danced to the fabulous Berkeley Square Society Band and were served the most delicious tea. 
In contrast, last Saturday, we went to a friend's birthday party. Music was provided by a DJ and we were left to 'do our own thing' as my dad used to call it! We realised it was a while since we'd had to dance without set steps. What do we do with our feet? I wondered.
Luckily, it all came back. I was that eighteen year old in the night club again (good job my daughters weren't there to see). Seriously though, It doesn't matter what style of dance it is - my husband and I just love it. And at a party, it certainly beats standing around talking.I couldn't help but compare my love of dancing with my love of writing. They are how I express myself best and to me, dancing perfectly describes the writing process.
1. Any one can do it but not everyone can do it well.
2. There are many reasons why people do it: for themselves, for others, for fun, for money.
3. The more you practise, the more the steps (both dance and writing) get easier.
4. Neither are easy all the time: we miss steps, go off beat, falter.
5. You can experiment with different styles: in dance it might be ballroom, Latin, ballet, salsa or modern jive. In writing it might be flash, short stories, articles, serials or novels.
6. Slow, slow, quick quick slow... I'm sure we all recognise that one!
7. Finding the rhythm in the music is like finding the flow in the story line.
8. You can go with the flow or learn the rules - it depends on what you're dancing/writing.
9. They are both a great form of self-expression.
10. However good you are, there is always more to learn and someone better than you.
I hope I shall be doing my two favourite things for many years to come.
I was drawn to the title, and loved the comparison between writing and dancing. I especially like numbers 3 and 10. Thanks for an interesting blog.
ReplyDeleteYour comment shows how important a title is, Veronica - even for a blog post. Thank you for commenting and please do visit again.
DeleteLove this post, Wendy. Agree with all your comparisons. And like our Fitsteps dance class writing can be ridiculously complicated! (Also agree about the tea - loose leaf is much nicer & posher for afternoon tea)
ReplyDeleteDon't get me started on last week's Fitsteps class - made writing seem easy!
DeleteDon't you both look YOUNG! Glad you had such a good time.
ReplyDeleteMy husband laughed at that comment, Frances! (Can't imagine why)
DeleteYes, it does feel very similar to the process of writing. An interesting comparison.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Elizabeth.
DeleteI'm in the 'not all can do it well' category of dancing. But only if you're being very generous! I'm super duper good at cake eating though, which I feel helps make up for it. (Writing comes somewhere between the two)
ReplyDeleteMy next post will be titled 'How Writing is Like Cake Eating' in your honour, Patsy.
DeleteHi Wendy
ReplyDeleteThat afternoon tea looked absolutely delicious, What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon, and I loved your comparisons of writing and dancing. Sometimes I forget that I write because I love to and you have just reminded me.
Linda