Story Archaeology

 

By Kristy McCaffrey 

How do writers find their stories?

The great mythologist Joseph Campbell stated in The Hero With A Thousand Faces: “Throughout the inhabited world, in all times and under every circumstance, the myths of man have flourished; and they have been the living inspiration of whatever else may have appeared out of the activities of the human body and mind.”

Stories live within us, whether we acknowledge them or not. A writer’s job is to excavate this terrain and bring it forth into the world. The act of experiencing a well-told tale, via a novel or a film or a bedtime story, will activate this internal landscape, sparking a recognition deep in the psyche.

A writer uses any number of tools at his or her disposal—intuition, dreams, research, imagination. Shaman and dream archaeologist Robert Moss says that stories are hunting for the right person to tell them. If a story is pressing on you to be told, and you ignore the call, the narrative will find another outlet for expression. This has often been called an artist’s muse, and many a writer has lamented when their source of inspiration has left them.

How to invite the stargazer, the fantasizer, the daydreamer to remain close? In Women Who Run With The Wolves, Jungian psychologist Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes says that (for women) the Wild Woman is necessary for all that is needed and known. Wild Woman is a vehicle to our instinctual nature, bringing us close to the wild terrain of our most primitive self.

“It means to establish territory, to find one’s pack, to be in one’s body with certainty and pride regardless of the body’s gifts and limitations, to speak and act in one’s behalf, to be aware, alert, to draw on the innate feminine powers of intuition and sensing, to come into one’s cycles, to find what one belongs to, to rise with dignity, to retain as much consciousness as we can.”

One way to excavate is through story collecting, an excellent device to fill the creative coffers. The more story bones acquired, the more tools that are at hand in creating the ‘whole’ story. 

Natalie Goldberg, in Writing Down The Bones, offers other ideas: carry a notebook with you at all times, practice timed writing with no editing (first thoughts aren’t controlled by the ego), write consistently to strengthen the storytelling muscle.

But anything we do fully, we do alone. This is especially true with writing. And while writing for others can be motivating, while story hunting may be fueled by the desire for accolades, always remember that the process isn’t simply to trigger an awareness and a change within the reader, but also to grow the vast reservoir of the soul-terrain of the writer herself. Goldberg says, “Writing is a path to meet ourselves and become intimate.”

“That’s very nice if they want to publish you, but don’t pay too much attention to it. It will toss you away. Just continue to write.” ~ Katagiri Roshi

Free The Writer

 

By Kristy McCaffrey

While not everyone is set on writing the next great western novel, we all want to tell our stories. A wonderful book to help get you started, or to reignite a passion that may have become stagnant, is Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg. First published in 1986 and rooted in Zen methodology, her advice is simple: trust in what you love, trust in your own mind, and everything else will follow.

“Writing is a path to meet ourselves and become intimate.”

Goldberg points out that people often write from a mentality of poverty, thinking they need a teacher to tell them what to do or how to do it. The opposite is generally true. We learn writing by doing it. And to write well one must read a lot, listen well and deeply, and write a lot.

 

We live in a society that rewards being busy, but that often isn’t fruitful or soul-fulfilling. Beware of monkey mind, says Goldberg, since it likes to create busyness that can keep us from our true heart. She believes that everyone has talent, but it’s obviously easier for some to tap into it than others. Human effort is necessary, so don’t shy away from doing the work. But it’s also more than just the work, it’s allowing and recognizing that the effort has awakened us. This lets a writer become aware and mindful, to shape the talent into something useful, something that resonates.

“Finally, one just has to shut up, sit down, and write. That is painful. Writing is so simple, basic, and austere.”

Develop a writing practice, a writing workout each day. A runner doesn’t improve without consistent running. The same is true for a writer. So, carve out this space, but know that it’s okay to write without a destination. Expectation can freeze the process. It also takes time to reflect on certain ideas, certain experiences, before they can be put down on paper. Goldberg refers to this as composting. These things can’t be rushed, so best to cultivate patience and acceptance. It can make the writing life less anxiety-provoking.

 

She offers techniques to stop fighting yourself (and the endless distractions that keep you from writing) such as: give yourself free time in the morning to do whatever, but at 10 a.m. you must sit down and write something; or you must fill at least one notebook a month, not with quality but quantity; or, as soon as you wake up, go directly to your desk and write (eating and teeth brushing can wait). Another technique is timed writing and first thoughts. This can remove the critic filter than often shoots down an idea before it can be fully crafted.

Need a writing prompt? Take five minutes to write down your deep dreams. And then? Don’t ignore what you wrote. Actually, it will likely be difficult to avoid your thoughts now that they’re laid out before you. Simply said, it will change your life.

This book can be read straight through, or sporadically when needed. I guarantee that at least one of Goldberg’s many suggestions and insights will spark something inside yourself and may just lead you to write down the bones.

 

Kristy McCaffrey is the author of the award-winning historical western romance series, Wings of the West. Learn more at her website.

WRITING, SOME ADVICE FROM WRITERS

 Post by Doris McCraw

writing as Angela Raines

Photo property of the author

When thinking about beginnings and all that entails for artists I thought of all the advice we get given over our lifetimes. They are numerous and like all advice, worth what you pay for them. Still, there are nuggets that shine through, especially for me as I take the writer's journey. It seemed an appropriate time to share eight of them with all of you.

1. Elmore Leonard published a book "Elmore Leonard's 10 Rules of Writing" in 2007. While all of his ten are worth taking a look at but the one that sticks out to me is: Leave out the parts readers tend to skip. And to add a bonus 'If it sounds like writing, I re-write it."

2. George Orwell, known for "1984" and "Animal Farm" said: If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.

3. Neil Gaiman, has a list of eight that are so simple, yet we don't think about them. His #1 is Write and #8 is The main rule of writing is that if you do it with enough assurance and confidence, you're allowed to do whatever you like ...

4. Joyce Carol Oates has something I personally relate to:  Read, observe, listen intently - as if your life depended on it. 

5. Helen Dunmore's advice: Finish the day's writing when you still want to continue.

6. P.D. James: Write what you need to write, not what is currently popular or what you think will sell.

7. Louis L'Amour's advice: Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.

8. Rainer Marie Rilke, who wrote the lovely book, "Letters to a Young Poet" gave this piece of advice: "Go into yourself. Find the reason that commands you to write; see whether it has spread its roots into the very depths of your heart; confess to yourself whether you would have to die if you were forbidden to write."

Most of us have favorite authors, a number of them are here at Cowboy Kisses. While advice helps, it's the joy of writing, the heartwarming feedback from the readers we write for and telling the story in the way only the individual writer can. 

For writers, please keep writing. For readers, let the authors you've read know what their work means to you. It's the conversations that add so much to the experience and makes all the hours authors spend honing the story worth it. 

Advice helps us focus, but the real work: Telling your story.

Doris Gardner-McCraw -

Author, Speaker, Historian-specializing in

Colorado and Women's History

Angela Raines - author: Telling Stories Where Love & History Meet

Books: Angela Raines Books