A Career-Changing Performance

Writing is not a performance art. We don't stand up on a stage and create a novel in front of a live audience. Thank goodness, huh? (Actually, I quite like performing, but not in that way!)

Our performance comes when a book or story is published and out there for everyone to see.

I read an article about a rising opera star that really inspired me. It talked about all her grueling hours of rehearsals as she prepared to perform at Covent Garden, and how terrified she was the evening of her dress rehearsal. It got me thinking about how it might apply to writing. Do we not have to put in many grueling hours before our creations are ready for their performance?

This line struck me: Relaxed, focused, and prepared, she entered the stage for the dress rehearsal—and had a wonderful experience.

 Relaxed. Focused. Prepared.
I realized this is exactly how I need to approach my writing sessions.

 The article went on to say:

  “At her core she is incredibly focused, and by the time she had an audience, she was prepared to give a career-changing performance." 

There it is again. Focused. Prepared. And think about it. A career-changing performance. Isn't that what we all want our books to be? 

So, that's what I'm thinking about now. How to put in the time and the effort, the focus and the preparation to see that my novels deliver a career-changing performance.