Write & Perform: Fire & Air

Fun fact: do you know that fire can't burn without air. This is because the element required for creating fire isn't just fuel and sparks but also oxygen, which is readily available in the air. Ironically, a wind, which is air in motion, can blow out a flickering flame but is inflammable to giant flames.

In today's WORDCRAFT lesson, it is important that this understanding is established: the skill of writing spoken word is like fire and it needs air. Air in this case means that it needs to be expressed. You can't hide them forever within the covers of your notepad, it's about time they get published. And the only way to publish them is through performance.

When it comes to reciting or reading a spoken word piece, there obviously need to be the spice of a performance. The rendering shouldn't be bland and monotonous, and it can be spiced up simply with intonation and gesticulation. Please note: spoken word mustn't always be a recital, it can also be a reading.

At the very least, performing spoken word is like making a heartfelt statement. Thus, whatever emotion your piece embodies, i.e the tone of your piece, should be heard in your voice and seen in your countenance as you read or recite. Performance becomes complex when it is fuse with music or dance or actual stage drama, but the basics still remain.

One good way of making your performance a heartfelt statement is by assuming the position of the voice in your piece. Imagine how you will feel if the words in your piece are the thoughts in your mind. What emotion will they come out with. When you assume this position, give it your natural vocal and facial expression. Yes, spoken word requires acting, it's all forms of literature put together.

Sadly, in performing spoken word, one can get overwhelmed by the feeling of inadequacy. Either you feel that your work isn't awesome enough or you are not bold enough to mount a stage and act them out. The truth is perhaps you are right, your writing and performing skill may just be as fragile as a flickering flame but hiding it from the air will do as much damage as putting it out in the wind.

In such situation what you need is little poetry events like small poetry meetings of twenty to hundred persons in attendance. The important thing about these meetings is that the audience are usually very supportive, you won't be booed off the stage and you'll be given close attention. Plus there'll always be a person or two who after the meeting would walk up to you and tell you how much they love your work.

This kind of exposure and feedback is very crucial in turning your flickering flame into blazes, it would boost your stage confidence and motivate you to write more. You can't avoid the stage if you want to be a good spoken word poet. With exposure comes the required feedback you need to become a better writer. Without it, your writing skills will soon die off like the flame on a candle under a bushel.