Tripping the Light Fandango

Flamenco dancing and how to make your writing more enjoyable

Photo by VENUS MAJOR on Unsplash

Hello and welcome.

Seville is a sensational city. Vibrant, architecturally interesting and brimming with fantastic flamenco dancers. Just like the lady in the picture, you stumble upon these amazing dancers in the middle of the street. When this happens, you are caught up in the moment, lost in their world. You see the concentration on the dancers’ faces; the sound of the Spanish guitars; the flourishes as the dancers spin around and click-clack castanets above their heads. You can see they are lost in the moment. Carefree and happy doing what they enjoy. Tripping the light fandango.

I am never happier than when I am behind my laptop letting the words flow. Like now. When an idea flourishes and blossoms into something bigger; something you want to share with the world. I want to get my flouncy dress on, twirl around and stamp my feet in satisfaction. Just like the flamenco dancers.

But there are days when I don’t feel like writing. It seems a chore. I get this funny feeling in the pit of my stomach. A voice in my head says, ‘Oh, no. Not more writing. What on earth shall I write about today?’ But guess what? I never listen to that voice. I sit at my desk and let my fingers dance across the keyboard. My mind is racing. Suddenly, the words start to appear on the screen and my imagination has taken over. A story is appearing. It may be fragmented, incomplete and rather disjointed. But it’s there. In its basic and raw form. Now I have something to work with. Something to colour in, pad out, and fill in the detail of this sketchy outline. Just like a painter adding details to a magnificent landscape. The finished painting that we see and admire didn’t start out like that. The artist didn’t magically paint the breathtaking scene in one go and voila! A beautiful picture for the world to behold. No. It took time. And patience. Writing is exactly the same. Our blank canvas is the blank page. We sketch out the outline of our story. Then we fill in the details. Then we edit some more, bringing it to life, word by word. Eventually, when we are happy with the finished article, it flourishes for others to read and enjoy.

So, as I enjoy my short festive holiday in Cornwall, where I am luxuriating in a break from my paid job as a legal secretary, my real passion for writing gets a chance to take over. It’s a treat. A time to relax and unwind and let my thoughts run free.

Looking out across to Polzeath from my writing retreat

It’s a place where I can trip the light fandango; write in a carefree way. Let the words fly through my mind and land on the page before pirouetting in a flourishing twirl, or stamping their feet in defiance. The click-clacking of the castanets brings the flamenco dancer to life. You’re there. Standing in that piazza in Seville watching the beautiful woman defiantly throw her head back, fling her arms out and stomp her feet, almost angrily, as she gets lost in the moment. Her graceful movements are perfectly in time with the beat of the Spanish guitars. And that, my friends, is how I intend to launch myself into the coming year. To write freely, happily, without a care in the world, and let the words speak for themselves.

But to produce my third book, I must write for many, many hours. For some, this may seem like a chore. A bore, even. It will take patience, persistence and hard work. I am sure those flamenco dancers had to practice for hours on end to perfect their dance. Just as writing is a skill we can perfect and hone over time. It takes perseverance, determination and grit. But if, like me, you love writing, the hard work will pay off.

If you haven’t managed to get your hands on my debut cozy crime novel yet, you can bag yourself a bargain on Amazon, where it is currently on sale. Only last week, a follower on my Instagram account said this about my writing, when she had finished reading The Mysterious Disappearance of Marsha Boden.

I absolutely loved it! It was one of the most suspenseful cozies I have read in a while (and I read a lot of them!)

Your writing is wonderful! I found it almost addictive and couldn’t stop turning the pages every time I picked up my Kindle. I was very keen to find out what happened to Marsha. I wasn’t sure if she was dead or missing for the longest time!

Wow! I was blown away. This glowing appraisal of my book is going to be followed up by a 5* review on Goodreads and Amazon. These are the kinds of reviews that a writer can only dream of. When I started out here on Substack, with my first tentative steps where my novel began its life, I never dreamt that it would be so well received.

So, if any wannabe authors are reading this, take hope from me. It can be done. It will be hard, and difficult at times, but it will be worth it. Especially if, like me, you enjoy writing anyway. The rest is the icing on the cake. And very delicious it is too.

I hope you all have a great New Year and would like to wish you every happiness in the world and above all, good health.

Best wishes,