My Stage
I sit and begin to write on a dark and dismal day, one
of the first days of spring. The rains have come and washed away all of winter.
Dark clouds gather on the horizon. This is one day in which the weather is in
contrast to my reality.
The response I have received for both of the books has
been completely overwhelming. I have received such wonderful comments from
readers of both books. It means so much to me for a reader of my work, a person
I have never met, to take time out of their day to write me and share their
thoughts with me. It is truly an honor to hear from people whose lives have
been impacted by something that I have written. I have had readers comment that
they had a change in the way they viewed an experience they had in their life.
I have had readers say that their perspective changed when reading a poem or
essay I have shared.
I have also received comments from readers about how I have changed how they felt. It is truly a force of nature to have your mood, your thoughts or emotions, changed by art. I have only known this experience from the other side, as a viewer. I have written to a few artists, to share how their art affected me. These artists soon became online friends, a true honor.
However, as I began to publish my work, I began to experience this force of nature from the other side of the pen. Readers then began to write to me. I have read many comments from readers telling me how something I wrote changed their mood, made them feel a certain way, or had an effect on them. To have that experience, to have people write to me, to tell me of the emotional impact of my art, that is truly a full circle moment. It is a precious feeling, one that I can barely begin to express. I have never known a moment like it in my life. It is an amazing gift to receive. This gift encourages me to continue in this art form, which is my passion.
In addition to receiving comments from readers, I have also had comments from my network of artist friends from around the world. I have friends on social media who are painters, sculptors, actors, writers, clowns, mimes, and more. I have had many of these friends reach out to me with comments of support regarding my work. Years ago, before I considered myself an artist, these artists read my work, saw my talents, and dubbed me an artist. It is high praise indeed, to be lauded by your peers.
Last week I was on a social media network and I began discussing my latest book with an online friend of mine. This friend is an actress, mime, playwright, and drama teacher. In talking about the book, she paid me the highest compliment:
“The book is your stage.”
I thanked my friend for her comment, touched by her words.
At first glance, the comment from my friend appears to be a simple phrase. After all, it is only five words. However, the more I contemplated its meaning, the more I thought about what my friend had said to me, I found it amazingly complex.
Again, the friend who made the comment is an actress, and makes a living in the theater. She creates art on stage. She made a comparison to her life on stage to mine, within the pages of a book. The book itself has become my stage.
In my six years as a writer, I never considered a book to be a stage. I never considered this blog to be a stage for that matter. But, that is exactly what it is.
In my early years I was a singer, performing in church and on the stage in musical productions. I had prepared months in advance for the performance. I stepped foot on the stage, and gave it my all. That is what I do here on my blog. I have done my preparation and I am here to share my art.
I never pictured the pages of a book to be a stage either. But my friend was absolutely right. My books are my stage. A writer writes a piece of material, a story, an essay, a novel, a short story-any matter of form of written work, which can take months if not years to complete.
Purchasing a book is akin to purchasing a ticket to a performance, which gives the reader a private audience to the show. The reader pays one-time admission fee, and is guaranteed an unlimited number of command performances.
It is said there is a dialogue that happens between artist and an audience in the theater. The artist comes onto the stage; the audience applauds to welcome them, eager to have an experience. The artist then performs their art. The audience then applauds, having received the art that has been offered, thanking the artist for the experience.
This same dialogue happens within the pages of a book. The author takes the stage with their words printed on the page. The audience opens the book, eager to experience the art within its pages.
Perhaps the only thing missing in the above scenario is the applause. When a writer shares a piece of writing, the writer does not receive applause, or any kind of response. However, for me, I have heard the applause, in the form of such lovely comments from my readers.
I am reminded of a quote that Shakespeare penned:
“All the
world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”
I have heard this quote for years now. However, I never began to think where my stage might be. If all of the world is a stage, it only follows that a book can be a stage as well.
In fact, in can be said that every person in every profession has a stage. For example, a heart surgeon’s theater is the operating room. A gardener’s theater is the patch of land they cultivate and tend. A chef’s theater is their kitchen. In this sense, everyone has a stage that they perform on, we call a job, profession or life’s work. We all have a stage. It is up to us to maintain it and present the best art possible.
Thank you one and all for sharing your comments with me. Thank you too for your support of my life on my stage, the pages of my books, and this writing space. Thank you to all my readers. You are my audience. Thank you for purchasing a ticket, and for coming to see the show. I am grateful to have my words heard, and to have a stage to share my art.
The next show is in the final stages of rehearsal. I will be launching a new production soon.
Thank you, Laura, for your glorious words. They are the inspiration of this production.
Here is a stage constructed entirely from the pages within a book
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