Using Physical Movement to Inspire Writing

Inspire Writing – This article is inspired by Wayne McGregor’s Ted Talk entitled – A choreographer’s creative process in real time.  McGregor has been a dancer since childhood and he found his creative expression when he was able to invent dances and teach those to other people.  He uses the phrase – ‘Misbehave More Beautifully” to express how he looks at his art.

I am not a dancer and have no desire to be a dancer but the lessons from this Ted Talk can definitely be used to apply to my writing.

First, here is the exercise that McGregor suggests during the talk.

He starts with the word TED (the name of the conference)
1. Think about the word ‘Ted’
2. Transplant to the real world.
3. Take an aspect
4. Scale so it is massive
5. Give it dimensionality
6. Make it 3D.  A space your body can go inside of
7. Where do you want to go?
8. Imagine the space
9. Reach to the Top of the T
10. Infuse with the color Red
11. Whole wall collapses and use weight to put back up

Below is the link to the Ted Talk -

A Choreographer’s Creative Process In Real Time

Practicing these mental images can serve to guide the body in the physical movement.

Here is how I am going to use this practice in my writing.

Inspire Writing

- I am going to focus on a word or a concept – I will take a word or concept that I want to write about.

- I will make it physical - I will create physical manifestation of that word and put it out in front of me.

- I will then focus on a specific piece of that word – I will focus on what aspect of the word or phrase and hone in it.

- I will make it 3D and set inside of it in my mind.

- From that point, I will start to write down some phrases and ideas. I will pick some of those phrases and ideas and even make those more 3D.

- I will then step through the 3D image and start to focus on what the readers will get out of the writing when I go through this exercise.

- From this point, I will start to free write and get the concepts down on paper as quickly as possible.

- I will write for a period of time and if I get stopped, I will recreate another physical representation.

- Then, I will step away from the piece and come back and edit it. (Maybe even the next day)

This is all a free flow thought and we will see how it goes.