The Heart of Your Story: Finding your drummer’s beat, the song your stories tell.
If you`re confused about what direction to take your writing or are unsure about where to go with your blog there is a solution. The answer to where to go with your writing is where your writing comes from. You may be thinking, ‘but, Laura, my writing comes from my head and I am confused’– hear me out. I came to this idea from reading Simon Sinek’s book Start With Why. I was trying to figure out what my business would be. I knew I am a writer with many fiction ideas, but how would I marry my fiction to a non-fiction blog? I was so arrested by notions of how I would move forward with business and writing, I forgot my motivation for writing itself. Why do I write? I thought I knew the answer. I said to myself I have cool dreams and ideas for stories I want to share. No, that wasn’t the core drive behind my writing. Sharing cool dreams and ideas was a reason I could write and share that writing but not my motivation for writing. Maybe for you, there is the same block; you don’t know the core drive for your writing and therefore can’t find direction.
Here is how I found my reason for writing:
I sat down with Carl Jung’s concept of shadow work and thought about my deepest and darkest self. What is the ugliest part of who I am and what bad things does she do and why? It was not easy because the shadow self is the self we repress and hide from. This article on shadow work from the blog, High Existence, will help bring you some clarity in regards to what shadow work is and why it is important.
When I met my fear and pain I began to see what was at the core of what I truly want out of life. My why, the core of all I do, also touches my writing. My stories are written to create a home, to create a path for my characters to grow into themselves, and into a community. That why is the same for myself; I am here to build community, to share stories, to grow as a person, and to find my tribe. Home is about living in safety and according to my personal truth. I want to live authentically, comfortable with my tribe who shares my values and to grow a community built from love and in the pursuit of self-betterment. Self-betterment and building home isn’t always a pretty journey, but it is a goal worth pursuing. I share this deeply personal truth with you to help you understand how to confront your own true motivation.
No one person can give you the magic answer of your ‘why’; it is in you, the answer to your personal truth. Ask yourself why do I write and what do I want to truly achieve? The motivation within is beneath surface motivations and lodged deep within your psyche.
Home as a growing into self, with others, and a community was such a powerful drive for me and such a powerful concept that it changed the way I write. Everything I do has renewed purpose and I feel more connected to my readers than ever before. I know I can make fulfilling business and write more purposefully now that I have my ‘why.’ What is your ‘why’?
Feel free to leave comments or questions below.