Seven Ways To Connect Your Writing And Your Life
Below is a MRR and PLR article in category Writing Speaking -> subcategory Writing.
Seven Ways to Connect Your Writing and Your Life
Summary
An essential question for any artist is: How can I build a career while staying true to myself? Over 20 years of teaching writing, I've heard from countless students who believe that success and personal integrity can't coexist. However, the Lifewriting approach to fiction shows us that these qualities not only align but offer the most fulfilling path to discovering your true voice and crafting a satisfying career.
Article
For writers striving to merge their work with personal authenticity, understanding character and plot is crucial. Aristotle’s debate on their merits can be seen as two sides of the same coin?"character reveals itself through action, and plot unfolds as characters engage with specific situations. Balancing these perspectives helps create a cohesive narrative.
Exploring Character
To define character, one must delve into the human condition. The simplest path to understanding characterization is through the study of psychology, beginning with yourself. Your deep personal insights provide the richest material for writing.
The Chakra Model
The chakra system from India, a 6,000-year-old model, mirrors Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and serves as an excellent framework for connecting personal experiences to writing. These energy centers?"survival, sexuality, power, emotion, communication, intellect, and spirit?"can guide you in crafting layered narratives.
1. Survival: Explore your deepest fears. Fear often underlies emotion and can inspire comedy or horror. Consider stories like "Die Hard," which tap into survival instincts. Characters reflecting these fears resonate with audiences facing similar issues.
2. Sexuality: Reflect on what ignites passion within you. Sexuality is pivotal in character development. Your experiences?"first, best, worst?"inform authentic character interactions. Films like "A History of Violence" use sexuality to deepen character bonds.
3. Power: Consider your physical condition and its reflection of your values. Develop characters with distinct physical traits whose histories are revealed through movement and appearance. Movies like "Rocky" and "Million Dollar Baby" showcase dynamic expressions of power.
4. Love: Explore mature affection versus infatuation. How do love for family, country, or mankind differ? What are the costs and benefits of these emotional connections? "Forrest Gump" examines a loving heart in juxtaposition with a simplistic mind.
5. Communication: Investigate your beliefs on education and clarity in communication. Miscommunication can drive narrative tension, as seen in "Billy Budd," where frustration leads to tragic outcomes.
6. Intellect: Assess your intellectual strengths and challenges. Consider scenarios where your beliefs clash with reality. The film "Creator" depicts a scientist grappling with personal loss, illustrating the intertwining of intellect and emotion.
7. Spirit: Explore your spiritual beliefs and philosophical differences. Develop characters that embody these perspectives without explicitly labeling them. The movie "Gandhi" highlights a character’s spiritual dedication to enacting change.
By reflecting on these aspects in your own life, you can create characters with remarkable depth and complexity. This approach helps unlock your full writing potential, whether your goals are artistic, commercial, or a blend of both.
You can find the original non-AI version of this article here: Seven Ways To Connect Your Writing And Your Life.
You can browse and read all the articles for free. If you want to use them and get PLR and MRR rights, you need to buy the pack. Learn more about this pack of over 100 000 MRR and PLR articles.