A Note From The Editor: While in the past it hasn’t been our policy to promote Kickstarter campaigns on Darling, we’ve been receiving so many amazing and inspiring product pitches that we’ve decided to open the door for submissions, and will be selecting one campaign to feature every quarter! If you have an upcoming Kickstarter campaign that you’d like to submit for our summer selection (June – August) please send an email to blog@darlingmagazine.org with “Kickstarter Submission” in the subject line.
Today we’re sharing a special Kickstarter campaign that has Darling ties. If you’ve enjoyed Heather’s hilariously honest, yet humble foray into the world of dance, watch below to find out what’s coming up next during her year of learning.
WHO AM I?
My name is Heather Walters, and I’m a writer, actress, and hopeful dancer in Los Angeles, California. I am passionate about telling stories in every medium — my work has been published in Oregon Bride Magazine, City Arts Magazine, Script
WHAT IS TWO LEFT FEET?
Six months ago I began a journey with Darling Magazine: a commitment to spend a year learning to dance at Studio A and chronicling my adventures in an online column entitled “Two Left Feet.” Studies have shown that dance offers amazing mental and emotional (not to mention physical) benefits. This intrigued me. It’s the oldest form of creative expression known to humanity, and it’s one of the very first ways we learn to communicate–through the movement of our bodies. And yet, for some reason, dance tends to be sanctioned off in our culture for ‘professionals’ only. There isn’t a lot of room for the average, untrained layman to learn technical dance. We all, perhaps subconsciously, ask ourselves: Why should we? If we’re not “good enough” to perform, what’s the point?
That’s the question this project aims to answer: What’s the point? (pun definitely intended). What happens when someone tries to learn to dance without the end goal of performing? How might it benefit us in other areas of our life? Is it even possible in a busy modern lifestyle? That’s what I’ve been writing about at Darling.
THE NEXT STEP:
The column thus far has been an amazing experience, but I’ve faced a singular problem: I have too much to write about. Learning to dance is an adventure full of hilarious (embarrassing) stories, new ideas, life interruptions, and personal growth — all of which I’m eager to put to paper! But eight hundred words a month just isn’t cutting it.
My dream is to make Two Left Feet a book: What Learning to Dance Taught Me About Everything Else. As a professional writer and editor, I have the training and experience to make this happen. I’ve already begun drafting, and you can even read my previous articles to get a feel for the tone and style.
However, because I am a professional writer and editor, I am also acutely aware that it takes much more than words to publish a really good book. That’s where you come in.
MAKING TWO LEFT FEET A REALITY:
I am choosing to self-publish this book, which means there will be a lot of work to do after the writing part is finished. The money raised from this Kickstarter will go towards professional editing (more than one pair of eyes on any writing project is essential), graphic design for the cover and pages, ISBN numbers for the hard copy and e-book, marketing for the launch, printing and shipping whatever books are pre-ordered in this campaign, and dance classes to finish my year-long commitment.
My goal is to finish the rough draft by Thanksgiving 2015, and it will be about eighty thousand words. I’ve already began this project with drafts of content and outlines, and I’ll continue to write through the end of my year-long dance commitment.
When that year officially ends on October 10th, I’ll have a month to finish the draft before I send it off to the editors. That’s when the editing/publishing extravaganza will ensue! All in all, if you support this project by ordering a copy, I’m confident I’ll have it published and in your hands by May 15th, 2016! And of course you’ll be able to read about all the important updates along the way on my blog.
So how about it? Will you join me in this adventure?
Visit Heather’s Kickstarter page and share your support by clicking over here!
Image via Mallory Morrison for Darling Issue No.3
