Laura Purdie Salas

Small Reads for Brighters Days

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • Laura’s Books
  • Poetry
    • Poems Published Elsewhere
    • My Poetry–a Sampler
    • Poetry Videos
    • How To Write Poetry
      • Poetic Pursuits
  • For Teachers
  • Presentations
  • Freelancer
  • About
    • Press Kit
      • Short Bios
      • Awards & Honors
      • Author Photos
      • Book Covers
      • Book Reviews
      • In the Press
    • Who Am I?
    • How I Became a Writer
  • Blog
    • Review Policy
  • For Writers
You are here: Home / Uncategorized / Where Do You Stand?

Where Do You Stand?

February 1, 2011 By Laura

Several weeks into my adventures with Minnesota Brass, I’ve realized that where I stand during practice really matters. When we do across-the-floors, my first instinct was to get at the end of the line. Then I realized that when my turn came, I was passe-ing and chasse-ing and jazz-running across the floor right toward a line of people watching me, because the people who had finished were now lined up facing my direction. Ack. NOT what I intended.

 

And when we work on flag spinning, same thing. I gravitate toward the back of the group. But between other bodies and that dang silk waving in my face, I can’t see the instructor half the time! And also, in the parts of an exercise where you face the back, I end up at the very FRONT of the group, with nobody to copy (uh, I mean, refer to) in front of me.

 

So I’m learning to place myself where I can feel the least self-conscious and also learn most efficiently.

 

It’s what I try to do in my writing life, too. Stand where I can clearly see and learn from writers I admire, who are farther along the trail I want to walk. I don’t stand where I make myself the center of attention—ugh. But I surround myself with other people who are working with the same attitude as me. They may be more or less skilled at this point, but they have a great time, work hard, and dance when the music comes on.

 

Where do YOU like to stand, either in your writing life or in your day job or in your hobbies? Are you hiding near the back, like me? Or does someplace else in the group work better for you? Do you naturally place yourself in the spot that works best for you, or do you have to fight your instincts and purposefully stand somewhere that makes you feel a bit uncomfortable?

Tagged With: drum corps, personal

Share:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related

« How Bad Do You Want It?
Color Guard: Just a Little Out of Place »

JUNE NEWS

Like a phoenix (except more loon shaped), the loon storytime featuring Laura Purdie Salas and Yvonne Pearson rises again! Come join us on Tuesday, June 6, at 2 p.m. We'll be at the Nordic Center at Lake Elmo Regional Park, ready to read, sing, and walk like loons! More info at the Washington Co. Library website.

LOTS of family stuff going on this month. Some of it's bad, like Covid and other unwelcome things, and some of it's great, like our daughter Maddie moving back to the U.S.! With all the extra things to do, I'm struggling with writing time. Things will calm down. Right?

Are You Looking For…?

  • Poems for the Classroom
  • Poetryactions
  • 15 Words or Less Poems
  • Poetry Activities for Teachers

Tags

15 Words or Less Poems 30 Painless Classroom Poems anthologies A Rock Can Be... bookalikes BookSpeak! Can Be... books classroom connections conferences and conventions equation poems events free verse haiku imagepoems Kidlit Combos Laura's books Laura's poems my writing process National Poetry Month 2014 (riddle-ku) National Poetry Month 2016 National Poetry Month 2017 (#wonderbreak) national poetry month 2018 (haiku a day) National Poetry Month 2020 National Poetry Month 2021 (#EquationPoem) national poetry month 2022 (sticky-note poems) National Poetry Month 2023 (Digging for Poems) nonfiction books personal photopoetry poems poemsketch Poetry 7 poetryactions poetry books Poetry Friday Poetry Princesses poetry prompts poetry sisters Putrid rhyming nonfiction rhyming poems Riddle-ku Rock the Blog school visits snowman-cold

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Copyright © 2009–2023 · Laura Purdie Salas · WordPress · Log in