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| Butterflies equal transformation (at least to the Chipper Muse) |
Have you ever encountered a negative experience that sent
you reeling in the aftermath? You are
not alone in this dilemma. As a writer,
you have the potential to transform your negative experience into fuel for a
compelling plot. Now you can answer the essential question, “What should I write
about?”
As a religious cult survivor, I discovered my solution to
psychological healing was through crafting novels with a foundation in my
religious past. I was born into an
extreme branch of the Independent Fundamental Baptist movement. I spent my first twenty years in that
suffocating cultic environment before embarking on my escape plan. (If you'd like more details about my story,
you can check out my essay, Cultic
Devil Daughter.)
Five years later, I have penned three psychological thriller
novels, two of which are cult-centric. These novels are NOT autobiographical, but they do utilize much of my
exposure to religious dictators, cult hierarchy, and the dark side of
religion. In essence, I turned my own
negative personal history into a captivating story for my readers.
You want to do the same? Here are five simple steps to get you started:
1. Recognize the Trauma.
Some of us are afraid to admit that we survived trauma. We want to appear normal. Our society often upholds a standard of
perfection for personal achievement. If we do not fit this mold, we feel
damaged. We should not be afraid to seek
professional guidance or counseling in our recovery process.
For example: I waited
five years before I felt comfortable discussing my experience with a
psychologist, but I wish I would have sought immediate assistance while going
through my initial cult recovery process.
Tip: Don't rush
through this first step.
Remember: You can only move on after you fully recognize
the trauma.
2. Feel the Emotion.
Allowing ourselves to feel negative emotions can become
uncomfortable. Should we avoid feeling
negative emotions in lieu of only the positive emotions? Before we can utilize
these negative experiences in our writing, we must indulge our negative emotions. If we want our readers to deeply feel the characters' angst, we must
first do so as the author.
For example: Growing up in a cult, I was brainwashed to
believe that I should never feel negative emotions. Our motto was, "Fake it 'til you make
it." In other words, ignore all the
negative and focus on only the positive. Therefore, I tend to bury all my unhappy feelings without fully feeling
the hurt. But I learned to overcome this
suppression.
Tip: Don't be
afraid!
Remember: You will tap into the full extent of these
emotions in your storytelling!
3. Write Your Experience.
Should we journal our traumatic experience? Yes! This puts us one step ahead in our writing. We will utilize these journal entries as a
resource for our writing.
For example: I recently went through a unique divorce
situation. In my research to connect
with similar soon-to-be-ex-wives, I realized there were limited discussions on
my specific situation because of its sensitive nature. Immediately, I began journaling my experience
on a daily basis, which resulted in 60,000 words on the topic. That's a book in itself! After allowing myself time and space to clear
my perspective, I plan to utilize these pages for their raw emotional
content.
Tip: Don't feel guilty!
Remember: If you have not yet written about your experience, do
so as soon as possible. I would most
highly recommend writing about your experience WHILE YOU ARE GOING THROUGH IT, if
possible.
4. Choose Memoir or
Fiction.
This is the shortest step of all. We need to determine whether to tell our
story through memoir or fiction. Some
writers are better suited to telling their story as fact. These are the powerful non-fiction writers
among us. Others of us prefer to
elaborate and exaggerate ad infinitum. We must make this distinction before
writing.
For example: I prefer
to dramatize my writing. Sticking to the
facts is constrictive to my creative nature, so I utilize my religious cult
past as a jumping-off point for my storytelling.
Tip: Don't feel pressured!
Remember: Each person's story is better suited to one
medium or the other.
5. Plot Your Book.
Lastly, we need to start plotting that book. Are we Plotters or Pantsers? Plotters feel
more comfortable plotting out their stories before actually writing the book
itself. Pantsers just start writing
their stories from page one. If you are
a Plotter, I would recommend Save
the Cat! by Blake Snyder AND Story
Engineering by Larry Brooks. You can
organically pull pieces from your own story to inform your plot. If you are a Pantser, I would recommend On Writing
by Stephen King. As we are writing our
story, we simply reference our journal entries for their raw emotional content.
For example: I'm a
Plotter! I storyboard plotted my novel before I actually began writing. If you want to see an example and pictures of
this process, you can check out my storyboarding here.
Tip: Don't procrastinate!
***
Thanks for hosting me today, Chipper. (You're welcome, M.E.!) I appreciate the opportunity to talk about
how my experience as a cult survivor and a writer intertwine. If I were still religious, I might (almost)
"thank God" that I grew up in a cult because I have twenty years of
experiences to tap into for my storytelling career.
Readers and Writers: What negative experiences can you be thankful for, now that you know how to transform them? What tips could you add to this list for using past experiences to
inform your own writing process?
Copyright (c) 2012 by M.E. Anders. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
My life reads like a tale of escape from a modern-day Jonestown. Born the preacher’s kid of a burgeoning fundamentalist society, I battled critical thinking as the unforgivable sin. Mining those experiences for storytelling, I pen psychological tales exploring the difficult questions of the human condition. These sagas excite the mind and stop the heart. Weaving webs of twisting plots are my specialty, horror tempered by mind-bending drama. My passion is to shed light where all is darkness. To bring hope to those living in shadows. Fiction and fact blur seamlessly into my gripping thriller novels.
To connect with M.E. Anders, find her in the following places:
Blog/Website: www.authormeanders.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.
Author Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.
Excellent content and a positive outlet for our emotions - I plan to write more of my trauma after reading your article.
ReplyDeleteThanks for chiming in, Becky! Good luck on writing your story, too. :)
DeleteThanks for stopping by, Becky. Yes, M.E. offers some great advice. I'm glad you enjoyed it and can make use of it right away.
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