Last night I attended an orchestra rehearsal of the PMP (Perlman Music Program) in Sarasota. Each year, 12 to 20 year-old musically talented students from around the world attend a two-week program taught by Itzhak Perlman, the internationally acclaimed violin virtuoso. As he conducted the rehearsal, Mr. Perlman would stop the orchestra to suggest alternate ways of playing the music. As the students complied, the music was transformed, gaining depth and appeal. As I watched the work-in-progress, I realized that I could apply  the same principles to my writing.

7 concepts that violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman can teach authors

1. Learn from the best. These young concert artists gave up their winter holidays to study with one of the world’s renowned violinist. As authors, we should read books by the leaders of our genre to see how the writer “orchestrates” the plot, tone, timing, and other details that makes his/her book excel. We can learn subtleties and nuances from the masters that otherwise may go unnoticed or take years to cultivate.
2. Use sound, color, characters, and emotions to enhance your work. Mr. Perlman would ask the musicians to play a portion of the music like pop corn, or cascading water. He suggested adding color and to play as if it were red, or blue, or white. Other times, he suggested playing the music with elegance or haughtiness. As authors, it is easy to describe the sound, color, character; it is harder to communicate the essence of these.  As these students learned to communicate the feeling of blue, authors who want to add soul in their writing need to evoke these feeling in the readers.
3. Use humor. When Mr. Perlman instructs, he does so with humor; he makes his students and the audience laugh, which is very engaging. Adding humor to our writing, or at least our perspective as we write, makes it easier for the reader to relate.
4. Relax. Mr. Perlman told the youngsters to “feel” the music and let it take over the body. As they did so, they started swaying, bopping, and moving in unison. Watching the orchestra perform became as pleasing as hearing it. As we relax, our writing becomes less stiff, less academic, more revealing, and more likable.
5. Practice makes perfect. Prior to being accepted into the PMP, these gifted teens spent countless hours practicing. It will take them many more years of continuing practice to become leaders in their field.  According to sociologists, it takes 10,000 hours of practice to hone your skills to be successful. For authors, that is about five years of writing forty hours per week. Like these students, getting personal guidance from a master can help authors increase their skills and take them to the next level. Write daily.
6. Group learning can be fun. These gifted students learn from Mr. Perlman, and from their peers. Some of the music practiced last night was played as a string quartet to show the audience and other musicians the effect of applying various techniques. I also noticed musicians taking cues from and imitating other musicians. Since practicing an instrument can be a solitary endeavor, I believe these fortunate students welcomed the companionship and opportunity to play with other talented musicians. Similarly, writing can be a lonely profession. Joining writing groups and attending writing seminars not only provides training but also networking and an chance to speak with other writers.
7. Give back to the community. Mr. Perlman encourages and cultivates young and talented musicians throughout the world. Many authors are mentors.  Blogs, forums, books, etc. provide strategies and support about the craft of writing, publishing, and marketing. I encourage authors to help others by writing blogs or guest blogging and by commenting on forums.

References

• 5 ways to put more ‘soul‘ into your writing – Justine Musk

Have you given back to the writing community? If so, how? Please comment.