SKYTALE WRITER
Skytale: (Greek, σκυτάλη) Spartan method of sending messages.
THE ANOMALOUS WRITINGS OF HUNTER LIGUORE

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Dakruism

Dakru tears down of traditional writing norms that impose permanency by creating a fluid experience that allows impermanency.

A story begins in the presentness of the mind. It is sometimes shadowy, but is given structure when it is handwritten or typed. Once the story leaves the present mind, it finds permanency on paper. There is always a record of the story. The author doesn't worry that it will be lost. Sometimes the story is printed, whether online or in book form, making it even more solid, more permanent. 

Dakru is about returning the story back to its primordial state of impermanency. A Dakru story is one that is told over many months, in many different ways, mostly non-traditional forms, like performance, art, stone work, and spoken word. The total work is never tangible as a whole. In other words, the story is not viewed as 'a book,' but as an experience. 


The Dakru Literary Movement

The Dakru Literary Movement

The created work is experienced with others in a communal way, rather than individually, replicating tribal bonds that tie people to one another in a natural way. Dakru literature is best organized locally and regionally, rather than globally, to further solidify ties between author and audience. 

Example: A Dakru author has written a novel in ten chapters. Over the next twelve months, the author will offer the story to the public through a variety of creative channels. For instance, chapter one and two will be made available in print. Chapter three will be given at a local reading. Chapter four will be integrated into a painting or other art form. Chapter five and six is created as a spoken-word download. Chapter seven will be delivered through a public performance, encouraging the audience to partake in the telling. Chapter eight will be chiseled into stone or sewn into fabric. Chapter nine will be printed in a local magazine. Chapter ten will be read by the author around a campfire. 

In many cases, depending on the author's choice of delivery, the outcome of the story becomes a group effort, (author and artist/performer working jointly) further encouraging deeper relationships between people. Work can be sold or offered through donation, and services provided can be volunteer or paid. There are no restrictions. In a perfect world, each town would appoint paid writers and artists, allowing for a free exchange of the created work to the public. 

Dakruism grows the experience of the author-artist, by making the created work a changing, living work of art that survives in the memory. 

The created work is no longer something that is rushed and completed. In essence, the created work is infinite, with no beginning or end, but rather a cycle of shifting moments, that together become the whole. While some of the delivery methods have a tangible form, (stone or print), the whole does not. At no time will all pieces of the story be provided as one unit. The created work is given in balance, both permanent and impermanent. For instance, chapter one is delivered in print (permanent), but chapter two is given as a performance (impermanent). The performance cannot be replicated in the same manner, so is fleeting. If someone does not attend, then they will not have access to the story, since it is not available anywhere else. Even if a second performance is given, (with the same actors, etc.) it will not be the same as the first. The created work, therefore, replicates the cycles of death and rebirth, fertile and fallow, temporary and lasting. 

Further, the author remains in a state of presentness while working to coordinate the different facets of delivering the work. Each day the author can craft and create without a sense of attachment to the work, since it is brought out of its solitary place, into an active state of being. Whereas, an author usually spends months working in seclusion, (author, computer, story), the created work now has a physicality, a beingness in the author's life. Because the story is orchestrated over many months, the author's worth and appreciation for their own art and being will increase, fueling creativity, rather than constricting it. In essence, the borders of spine, cover, page are eliminated, allowing for an undefined, limitless work to evolve. The conceptualization of 'a book' is solely decided upon the author. The author is allowed full freedom to create unhindered, and in turn, shares the created work in as many infinite ways. 

The Dakru Way of non-credo creativity

Dakru authors practice a non-credo mentality. Writing or art is neither good or bad, for 'good' and 'bad' are perceptions created within society that ultimately leads to separateness. Instead a created work is viewed as preferred or not-perferred. One person may prefer a story by one author and not another. But this doesn't mean one is better than the other. Removing limitations of good and bad allows the audience to view the created work without restrictions or an expectation, nor a preconceived (often learned) prejudice. For instance, if a person were taught that only stories that featured the sun were good, and all others were bad, then the person would be hindered in receiving a limitless amount of stories. The Dakru Way practices non-credo to embrace all works as equal, regardless of societal boundaries, (genre, race, sex, sexual orientation, quality, length, popularity, etc.).

Further, Dakru doesn't restrict the author to non-traditional creativity, while shunning traditional methods. One way is not better than the other. They are both equal and should be perceived in balance. An author who is not traditionally published is not less than an author who is. Likewise, a published author might appreciate working in Dakruism as a means to balance his/her inner life, or branch out creatively without constraints.   

The Dakru Way of social change

Stories have the ability to change lives. In its simplistic form, stories are shared with friends and family throughout the day, and have the ability to lift or darken one's mood. The Dakru Way seeks to bring balance through the created form into the immediate community. By utilizing that which is closest, we begin to foster a deeper appreciation of place. From this comes respect for where the author lives, as well as the audience that grows around it. One example is for an author to host a performance in an abandoned field. The field once unused, becomes used, and change occurs. Further, the author can use pieces of nature, or everyday items familiar to people, even garbage or recyclables, to create works of art-composition. By using things that are immediate to the author/audience surroundings a deeper appreciation and awareness develops in both that fosters respect for the shared locale. Where the author lives becomes a source of inspiration for bringing about social change, as the community flourishes. 

The Practice of Dakruism

Practicing Dakruism

Dakru begins when the author opens to limitless potential, allowing for his/her inner voice to serve as a guide for the creative fire. Dakru recognizes that with everything in life there is a time for work and a time of rest. A time to grow and a time to harvest. It is in the quiet moments that the creative spirit is allowed time to reflect, and fuels the mind toward greater freedom and expansion.

Dakru is often accompanied by the practice of meditation, the quieting of the mind in order to be in touch with the inner self (the inner void). In preparation of creating, the Dakruist will start with a form of meditation, which can be as simple as walking in nature or as deep as attending a temple, or as freeing as painting without thought. When the mind is cleared of the clutter, then it is free to be guided by the author towards the creative work. Reflection is also a regular practice, and necessary for seeking the heart of the intended story. Reflection or the practice of "doing nothing," is survival for the Darkuist. In reflection we find our true meaning and purpose. 

Building and sustaining community through Dakruism

As the author builds an audience, providing stories and entertainment, lessons, and a sense of belonging, the audience in turn will become the author's main support, whether through monetary support or through camaraderie. The audience will grow to appreciate the author-artist, anticipating the next event. New relationships will form within the audience. Those who miss a chapter of the created work will seek out someone who participated, and hear about it second-hand, giving the author's work a new interpretation. 

In our society, "free" has come to mean "without value." Often work is given away free or at a pittance in order to convince the recipient that they are valued or special. It is a tactic routinely used in marketing that undercuts the value of the author/artist. Here again is where societal perception dictates what is valuable and what is not. All creative work has value. It will be up to the individual author what price is set on the work. 

Dakruism practices non-violence for all creatures, and seeks not to hurt or hinder people or nature. The Darku author-artist holds respect for all life, and works from a place of compassion. 

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Examples of Dakru Projects

Coming Soon: The Dakru Way for Writers

© Copyright, Hunter Liguore

The Dakru path is one of simplicity. It is a path that does not seek things in excess, but of necessity. Creating a community around ones art is a path of understanding for all ways of life. 

To be part of a growing trend of authors and artists, join the Dakru community. Connect with other authors and artists. Volunteer or offer your creative services. 

A literary journal dedicated to Dakruist artists is forthcoming, as well as workshops (online and local) about the Dakru Way.