Tag: Saschia Johnson

Unchecked Passion and Your Characters

“it wasn’t what I was resentful about that I needed to let go of but what I was passionate about.”

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For the Conscious Writer

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“There is no passion to be found playing small — in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” Nelson Mandela

Passionate characters can drive the story forward. Passion can drive us as writers forward and make us do things we never thought possible. In my last post Resentment and Passion, I explained that in order to help me let go of resentment, I had to change my perspective. (You can read more about it here.) What I figured out from changing my perspective is that it wasn’t what I was resentful about that I needed to let go of but what I was passionate about.

So, let’s talk about passion.

I said in that post I was passionate about mothering my children. It’s something I hold dear to my heart. The passion I have for mothering comes with intentionally investing in the relationship I have with my children. It comes with creating moments for them to engage in self-discipline and self-discovery. It comes with snuggles, tears, hugs, frustration and so much more.

So, when writing a passionate character these are the actions and emotions you want your character to engage in. But we can’t stop there. This is just a character with their passions in check.

A character with unchecked passion ultimately turns into a villain. One of my most favorite characters with unchecked passion is King Pin from the Marvel comic books. Creating a great character with unbridled passion should start with a checked passion that grows out of control. I think we can relate to those characters better. Which helps us to better understand the bad in this world.

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Unbridled passion is often brushed off and claimed as just mindless evil but that’s just not enough for us conscious writers. We need to understand. The answer to some of the most misunderstood villains is passion.

“If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins.” -Benjamin Franklin

How can we keep a character’s passion in check?

Take who or what they’re passionate about away, you might think.

Ah, but this is where you must know your character. Is your character mature enough to grow from that loss or will removing that passion will bring them into villainy?

The best way to round your character with a passion in check is to mature the character in other areas of their life. Give them a sense of something outside of their passion.

When a character loses something, they were passionate about and doesn’t have the maturity in other areas of their life, they should plummet into an existential crisis because they don’t have any other thing driving them forward. (Besides what you throw at them.)

As conscious writers, we should take note of that. If we want to be well-rounded writers, we must keep our passions in check. We should rule our passions, not let our passions rule us.

Some ways we, as real living humans, can keep our passions in check.

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Have hobbies outside of what we’re passionate about

Have healthy relationships with peers and family

Work to live don’t live to work or Write to live don’t live to write

Self-love

Understand that without your gifts and talents you are enough

Create things perfect, imperfect, doesn’t matter just create things

Invest in your physical health

Focus on growth and forward movement

Having passion is a good thing and a great tool. I think we should all invest in our passions. It might rule from time to time, but like Ben Franklin said, allow reason to reel you back in.

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Sources

https://www.inc.com/dave-kerpen/15-quotes-on-passion-to-inspire-a-better-life.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingpin_%28character%29

Encouragement for the Lost

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For the Conscious Writer

One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star. -Friedrich Nietzsche

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There are going to be times of feeling completely lost. Like you’re in a room without even a sliver of light. Or that moment when the lights go dim and our eyes are still adjusting. It doesn’t feel good at all. These moments lack certainty. In these moments of complete darkness, our only option is to first surrender to it. You could fight but it would be a waste of energy to react hastily or it could cause more problems than need be.

Remember why you’re writing. Why did you take the path of being a conscious writer? Then write. Doesn’t matter what it’s about, just write something. This moment of separation from your larger vision is precisely that, a moment. It will pass.

Ride on discipline or the intention of developing your discipline. These moments in the fog, motivation falls into the background. Being tired and overwhelmed can make this journey feel impossible or too big for us to handle but those are just feelings. You are strong and you are capable.

Remember that this is bigger than us. This entire thing doesn’t rest on your shoulders. There are many of us taking a similar path. There are many of us shouldering the weight of honesty. The point of saying this it to remind you that you are not alone. It’s important to be aware that your story is unique. Your contribution is imperative and since your work is this important, we need you to work in a way that will keep you moving forward and keep your head in the game.

Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten. -Disney’s Lilo and Stitch

There has been a need for conscious writers throughout history. Storytellers hold the keys of history, culture, evolution, wisdom, universal ideas, and finding joy in times of distress. You are on the right path. You are exactly where you’re supposed to be. There is no story too big for you to grasp. Keep carving.

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Quote Cred:

21 Friedrich Nietzsche Quotes That’ll Change The Way You Think

Use Honesty as a Tool

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Use Honesty as a Tool
In Your Writing
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Being an honest writer is about leading to the truth or at times, allowing yourself to be lead to the truth. Being an honest writer isn’t telling all the dirt about your character right off the bat or at all for that matter. It’s a guidance. It’s knowing what truths to tell. It’s knowing what truths you keep to yourself to gift others that marvelous feeling of expansion. It’s our duty as writers to allow uncertainty in some moments. Let them have that space where maybe just maybe, it might work out in the best or worst way possible.

I think we can apply this to our own lives too. There are times when calling people out in an innocent moment can be an act of pride rather than an act of love. Sometimes we jump the gun and spill all the ugly stuff without even getting to the stuff that leads them to the truth on their own. We have to let them stagger around a bit to figure out how some things in this world operate. The same goes for writing.

When we look at honesty this way, it becomes more of a tool. We can wield it around at times of distress or times of victory. We can use it as a reward or even as a punishment. There’s so many ways to use honesty as a tool of guidance. It can bludgeon. It can destroy, so use it wisely and when you do decide to use it, use it with confidence.

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Stitched Together

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From time to time I think of you

From minute to minute you cross my mind

From hour to hour I’m lost in our fantasies

If I stopped I might lose you

So I leave myself little reminders

Moons and doors

and stars as big as your eyes

The truth is I don’t need reminders

But they bring me closer to you

-Sasch

Extracting Ideas From The Inside

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Central sensitisation occurs in the synapse of the dorsal horn.

This is literally what a thought looks inside the brain. But when we think, this is not what we see. Today I’d like to discuss how we get our thoughts from conception into a place where we can mold them into a story.

Getting ideas from pure thought onto paper can be a complicated thing.

But there’s a trick.

The trick is….

to just start writing. And that’s it. You’re swell-come.

No, but seriously, that’s the trick, to start writing. Write the story without limits. When I start my story, I also use journals, maps, lists, brain storming, charts, Pinterest, worksheets, whatever I need to pull all the pieces together.

I think of this process in the same way Michelangelo thought of David. In the beginning, it’s a slab of rock or a mass of words and as a writer at some point, it will be my duty to carve away at my story until I set it free. The setting free of the story happens later. So right now we are building our slab of marble to have something to carve from.

While getting these thoughts on paper it’s ok to struggle. The process of getting my story onto paper is a lot of walking in the dark chaotic recesses of my mind. It sounds complex because it is a complex thing to do. So when I struggle, which I do, it’s important to accept that as part of this extraction process.

“A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.”
― Thomas Mann, Essays of Three Decades

Trust your own thoughts and ideas and give them credit when they show up. At this point the only important thing is extracting ideas from the inside of your mind. Stay open to your own ideas and give every single one credit. You can weed through it all later. Focus on making this a positive experience so you can get it all out. All your ideas and thoughts are worthy of acceptance.

And that’s it. Start writing the story. Write everything down without limits. It’s OK to struggle, and remember all ideas and thoughts are worthy of acceptance.

Writers challenge

Start and finish a short story within an hour. I find that I’m more forced to deal with the ideas I have when I set a time restraint. While writing your story, journal or use at least one other resource to assist in welcoming all your ideas.
Accept the story as it comes.
When you’re finished, sculpt and mold it into a short story. Then you’ll have one more piece to add to your collection

I also spoke about Why understanding the Creative Process is important   and What the creative process is Click the links if you want to learn more about the creative process

Links to sites that added to the creation of this post
https://backtoroots.community/clinical-corner-articles/2017/2/8/sensitisation-primary-adaptive-vs-secondary-maladaptive -for the picture

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/creative-process -for the quote

I can’t find where I learned this about Michelangelo so if someone knows please send me link.

Where Do Creations Come From?

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Dragonfly, Dew, Spider Web, Morning, Insect, Dewdrops

Where do creations come from? The creative process is my favorite tidbit when it comes to finding out what goes on behind the scenes in any creative endeavor. So I’ve decided to research and share my thoughts on the creative process. For the sake of clarity…Read more @SaschiaJohnson.com

 

Symbols- revisited

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She asks for symbols

while I doodle

stars and hearts in blue ink

across the top of a blank page

 

Maybe I don’t get it, Professor

Maybe I never will

 

I’m on to circles and squares

Images of old Egyptian

pillars appear

containing hieroglyphs

with no meaning

 

Evoke the imagination

She voices

before putting her head

back down

 

Semi circles and unfinished squares

dotted like a Morse code

have been placed

with no meaning

Dotted with intent

but no definition

What is this place where

I feel the depth

of each

meaningless symbol?

 

-Saschia