Strange things happening – mystery… what do you make of it?
Aliens? Over the Rainbow?
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Must. Be. Original
Let’s take a look at Helen, who has a huge problem with her writing.
Helen has a story that’s dear to her heart, and she really wants to tell it. But then she realizes her hero is the typical young person being called on a quest.
She hates that thought.
So Helen starts twisting around her story, turning her hero into an older woman, and avoids giving her a mission. Then, to her horror, she realizes this is similar to a book she read a year ago. She twists her hero into a man.
Then she finds out she’s telling a journey of finding oneself. Her stomach churns. Her story must be original! And she can’t find any plot that’s not been done. She even stops reading because it makes her feel bad about her story. And she hasn’t written in months…
Helen believes in a myth, something she has learned somewhere.
My story has to be original.
That is simply impossible. Just imagine… humanoids have been sitting around the fire and telling stories for hundreds of thousands of years. Humans have been writing down stories for over 3,000 years. (Linear B was developed in Crete ~1,500 BC.)
There is no original plot anywhere.
In fact, it has been postulated that there are only about seven different plots for every story ever told. (“The Seven Basic Plots: Why we tell stories” by Christopher Booker)
So why do people still create new stories?
Because they have their own personal way of telling them. Their own characters. Sometimes, their own worlds.
And that’s where originality comes in.
By pouring one’s one self into a story, being deeply connected to the main characters and what happens to them – that’s what breathes life into a tale. That’s what makes a story special and original.
So don’t despair over the general plot, or even the fact that “it’s been told before”. Just don’t try to write the next Harry Potter or Hunger Games. Write your own story, even if it has parallels to what you’ve read before.
That’s the key. Trust your own voice, take the time to develop it, and write your own stories from your heart. Love your characters and bring them to life from that love.
And “original” no longer matters.
Here’s some tapping to help you release this particular block:
Even though I’ve been taught that I must write stories that have never been written before, and that is completely blocking me, I’m a good writer, and I now choose to know that no story is fully original.
Even though the rule that my story must be like no other and completely original, I’m totally okay the way I am, and I now give myself permission to tell my own story, even if there are similarities to others.
Even though I always believed my stories have to be completely original, and that has led to despair and avoiding books, I’m totally okay the way I am, and I now give myself permission to be inspired and tell my own stories in my own way.
Your Turn:
How do you feel about originality?
Who said your stories have to be original and unique?
What happened while you were tapping?
And finally – what are you creating right now?
Would love to hear from you!
Image Source: F. Moebius
PS: You’ll find my personal experiences with these beliefs in the comment section. Because I am tapping with these very sentences, I’m inviting you to join me on this journey, and share your experiences.
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I’m so talented!
We writers create stories to read. And we create art.
Story telling is in fact one of the most ancient arts around. I’m sure even the Neanderthals sat around their campfire and told stories about hunting, finding food and maybe Gods in the sky.
And as we create art, we can create a very tricky, nasty block for our writing.
Because Art is supposed to be special and unique.
So our stories have to be special and unique.
Quite possibly this idea of having to create something special is a nasty trick of the mind.
It’s a mindset that allows only super-talent with instant success or nothing. And that leads to instinctive avoidance, because the chance of failure is so high – if your one and only attempt at excellence and unique success fails, you have proven that you have no talent and shouldn’t be a writer. It’s all or nothing.
This is what holds back Tim: Continue reading
Now what is going on here? There’s a story lurking in those cubes…
What is going on here?
If you want to share the story that came out of this prompt, head on over to my Facebook Group. You’ll find even more inspiration, and lots of support for writers:
The Write Mindset
Inspiration!
I’ve seen many, many writers who believe they need to be inspired in order to actually sit down and write. Or that they need inspiration to write a great piece of art.
Here’s the tale of someone who things along those lines:
Chris has many rituals to call forth inspiration. Before writing, he goes for a little walk, then makes a special tea which he pours into a special mug. He puts on his writing shirt. Finally, he sits in his special writing place, calls up his file and…
…nothing. All the joy he had felt about writing fizzles away.
Trying to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach, he reads the last paragraph he wrote, and finds it horrible. He deletes it and reads the one before it.
Still nothing. Continue reading
Now this … this might totally spark a story. Doesn’t it?
A scare in the night? Or what?
If you want to share the story that came out of this prompt, head on over to my Facebook Group. You’ll find even more inspiration, and lots of support for writers:
The Write Mindset
Writers’ Block
Today, I’m starting a new blog series, this time on Writers’ Block. Yes, it’s a big one among writers. There are those who have suffered from it for years. I’ve been there. And yet there are others who say they have never experienced it. Some might even believe it’s just an excuse to not write. And here’s what I have heard very often:
It’s all in the mind.
Which often is taken to mean that Writers’ Block is not real, that it’s imagined and can simply be broken by willpower, hard work or determination. And that people who experience it are simply weak and bad writers trying to hide their failure. I don’t believe that’s true, however. Writers’ Block is not something people choose or decide to have. It’s usually something that seems to hit out of the blue.
But yes, I believe it’s in the mind. Just not the conscious mind. We have a vast unconscious mind that teems with rules, beliefs, safety programs and stuff we learned earlier in life. And these can combine to create Writers’ Block in very individual ways.
It’s complicated. Continue reading
The Story Cubes are at work again – what are they telling you?
Find the Story!
If you want to share the story that came out of this prompt, head on over to my Facebook Group. You’ll find even more inspiration, and lots of support for writers:
The Write Mindset
I did it my way.
For almost three months, we have been exploring beliefs, expectations and family system dynamics that could be blocking your success. And I believe there is huge value in using EFT to shift those beliefs that are blocking you. It is the fastest modality I know for doing so.
However, your own success can only happen if you do the work yourself.
I can guide you, inspire you, and give you tips where to look. I can help you discover your own blocks, I can outline them for you – but you have to do the tapping for them to dissolve.
Your success lies in your own hands.
Which is good! Imagine someone else were responsible for your success. That would be horrible. Yes, that someone could be well-meaning and carry you there. But what if they are not? Continue reading
Just a magnifying glass, a bee and a flower… what could go wrong with that?
Discover the story!
If you want to share the story that came out of this prompt, head on over to my Facebook Group. You’ll find even more inspiration, and lots of support for writers:
The Write Mindset
