I sat through my grandson’s participation in a band
concert at Buena Vista High School last night and marveled at how the kids did
such a great job with Rhapsody in Blue. Could I find an analogy to
writing? Maybe.
Rhapsody in Blue
evokes strong emotions in me with no guide book or words. I don’t know how it
affects you, but its mix of Jazz and Classical illustrates an ode to life in
New York City. A never ending, never sleeping, always competing, always
yearning story of living in the Big Apple. Of course, this cacophony is
subjective.
What about writing? The best writing pulls on your
soul, takes you somewhere beyond the black and white. It may be as simple as
walking along with Sherlock Holmes as he solves a crime, or as joyous as Hamilton.
Our job as writers is not only to write concretely but
to engage the reader emotionally. Anything less is not a rhapsody. It may be a
jingle and that’s okay.
So how do I get from George Gershwin’s Rhapsody to writing?
Maybe I don’t. The best I can do is say that even though Rhapsody has no words,
it is as clear to me as the writing of Hemingway. Anybody care to complete
this analogy?
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