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Saturday, April 25, 2015

Writing Therapy Stirs-up Healing



Writing therapy stirsup-up healing in unbelievable ways. I know from experience. Some years ago, I retired early from a job, decided to push away the tears and jot down the ingredients of what happened. The more I wrote, a clearer understanding exposed itself. I felt better. The writing therapy allowed me to move forward. 

The writing down of my thoughts and feelings filled several books. I enjoyed the writing process, looked for that specific time to write. It dawned that I should write a book. My novel, "Grave Street House," was spun into existence. 

It's important to find a specific place for writing therapy. Make it yours. Schedule an appointment in your calendar for writing therapy. It's as vital to your life as any other appointment. Take it seriously. The time spent in a session should be, at least, two hours long. Sometimes, you'll write longer or shorter. Simply, write. The place can be an attic, barn, portion of a a room, basement or library. Curve this time and place out in your unique style. It should be comfortable with everything you'll need. Tissues may be needed, for example. Water? Sugarless gum? Get or do whatever you'll need before sitting down to write. Don't give yourself an excuse to stop writing. 

When an issue or problem becomes over-whelming, stop. Return the next day. There's no one to hurry you. Writing therapy stirs-up healing differently for each person. Writing isn't a cure, but it's part of the healing process. It can help you identify issues and mood swings in order to cope with life better, according to the experts. Some may heal faster or slower with writing therapy. It depends on you. 

Writing therapy is a discovery process. Take your time with it. What issue(s) or problem(s) is nagging at you? Is it a job loss? Unexpected illness? A goal not reached? There isn't any issue you can't examine through writing therapy. No one will grade or judge you. Be honest with yourself. 

Some questions to consider during a session are as follows. What part did I play? What happened? How did it happen? What can I do differently next time for a nicer, better, happier, outcome? Do A or B to avoid a like situation. Who or what is a trigger? Avoid the trigger by (fill in). Look at the issue or problem objectively, or from "that person's" perspective. Would you act the same?

Writing therapy stirs-up healing as you scribble down notes about your life. It, too, builds the path to a writing career. How? Write a how-to article on your journey. Most likely, there are other people who can benefit from your experiences. The direction a writing career roams is limitless.

Writing therapy stirs-up healing involving any issue or problem. Take your time during the sessions. Stop when a session becomes too emotional or over-whelming. Return the next day to continue. Or, take a two-day break from writing therapy. You can be honest, because no one else will judge or grade you.

Saturday, April 11, 2015

The Narrator

The narrator is an important decision for a writer. Make the choice for narrator prior to a single syllable being written. Why? The story is told from the point-of-view character. He/she opens the door according to an one sided view, and that view is from the character telling the story. The stance covered in your work of fiction depends on which character is narrating.

It's paramount to complete a profile for characters before you start writing. You can always go back and nip and tuck information. A character's story can't be told well if you don't know him/her. The narrator's voice arrives with his/her unique experiences, attitude and culture. The educational level swirls into his/her speech pattern. These details and any others you'd like to add constitutes a character's profile. 

When a character slides into the narrator's spot, he/she is engaging. The character stirs-up the emotions of sadness, anger, happiness or fear in readers. It leads to a connection. It's why a person cheers, yells, frowns or poo-poos a character. The ability of a character to spark some emotion is why readers look for more writing projects from the writer.

I'm referring to the first person narrator. The character is limited to what he/she knows, finds out or witnesses. The story unfolds through his/her eyes. The reader identifies, cares, hates, the point-of-view character. The writer sprinkles in the right ingredients for the fit with his/her vision.

The first person, I, narrator is a mixture. The character is formed from a writer's experiences. Each writer is different with many and varied experiences. Writers are influenced by what they see, feel, hear and read. There's no limit to where writers gather writing ideas.

What if the narrator is a liar and the protagonist? The story is usually written around the protagonist. It's the writer's job to expose the character. How? Let the character's lies be uncovered. The character is left with no choice but the truth. Readers will get suspicious of the "tall tales." They will reason if the character is fibbing here, he/she could be lying about A and B. After all, they're just taking his word. Hmm. Some will watch the character more carefully. They'll pay close attention to what and how the character speaks. Readers will be looking for inconsistencies. Some other people will go along with the character to use him/her for their own purposes.

In the end, a narrator is selected based on which character best fit and the vision a writer has.


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