1. atsgtm2018

    atsgtm2018 Member

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    Novel Writing to heal

    Discussion in 'Genre Discussions' started by atsgtm2018, Jul 30, 2018.

    Writing has always helped me get through things. Currently dealing with a lot lately, and my latest WIP is definitely a reflection of that. I’m having a hard time writing the beginging of it because I’m really anxious about a certain part that means a lot to me.

    I’m sure some might get the same feeling I do about writing these certain/special scenes. You’re a little more excited about it or maybe it’s helping you vent something that’s been bugging you. Does anyone write a later chapter ahead of time just because you NEED to get it out of your system? Maybe writing THAT scene has helped you through some pain in your life.
     
  2. deadrats

    deadrats Contributor Contributor

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    I'm careful not to let a piece of writing mean anything to me before it's written. And I can't say I've ever felt anxious over anything not yet written. Maybe you're jumping the gun anticipating all these special scenes to come. Because what if they don't come out as intended or end up unnecessary to the story as a whole? But since it would seem you are writing primarily for therapeutic reasons why don't you just write whatever you want? Sure, you can make it a novel, but you don't have to. You can just write the scenes you want and that might be what you're really looking for in this creative outlet.

    I never really feel a need to get something out of my system. When I write I think of pretty much nothing but the story at hand. However, if I was trying to write a book and was experiencing a similar type of anxiety of scenes to come, I would probably take that as a sign that I wasn't starting the story in the right spot. I like to start a story with my best idea/material. No one wants to wait to get to the good stuff. Why not make the whole story good stuff?
     
  3. Mckk

    Mckk Member Supporter Contributor

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    I personally am not into sharing that kind of writing. Even deeply personal work that means the world to us emotionally, connected to the most fragile and precious periods of our lives, is open to criticism, to negative feedback, to being disliked. Even hated. When you ask someone to read your story, you're asking them to judge it. You're asking for an opinion, for a reaction. You may not like that reaction. You may not agree with that judgement. But you must be able to accept that, and not only to accept that, but to listen to the feedback and edit and polish your work until it's the best it could be. And even then there will be someone out there who wouldn't connect with it, wouldn't understand it, and wouldn't enjoy it. You have to be able to step back far enough that 1. you can hear feedback and act upon it for the sake of your story and 2. you won't be irreparably hurt over it. That can be difficult if it means so much to you that any negativity would cause you to shut down.

    My advice: write it, and then keep it to yourself. Or show it only to one or two people with whom you want to share it, people you want to reveal that much of your soul to. But when it comes to work you're gonna share with the world, I'd steer clear of such material, or you could adapt the material so it still contains the emotional resonance and message you wanted to convey, but you've created enough distance between yourself and the work that it won't be quite so raw. But that's just me.

    Some people may have no problem being completely raw, showing it to the world, taking criticism, and polishing it and showing it to the world again. But you gotta ask yourself this and answer honestly: Are you one of those people?
     
  4. Alan Aspie

    Alan Aspie Banned Contributor

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    Not scenes but...

    1. Understanding social world and it's rules and conventions.

    2. Understanding and handling identity work - both mine and everybody elses.

    3. Developing autistic self help tools. (To me and to other autistic persons.)

    4. Themes.

    5. To communicate about some special interests that need deep thinking.
     
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  5. Drinkingcrane

    Drinkingcrane Active Member

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    I think that writing to work through personal issues is an excellent way to right. When ther is no distance between the emotions and the writer I can tell the author is being honest and not theoretical. For example I have suffered drug addiction and mental illness my adult life. Everything’s I’m writing has to do with those subjects a lot of tragic and sad things I experienced and observed and in writing about them I’m trying to get through them. And I hope it translates into a powerful story.
     
  6. Siena

    Siena Senior Member

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    Definitely some therapeutic / cathartic aspect to it.
     
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  7. Ian37

    Ian37 New Member

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    Writing seems like a rather personal thing at times. Even when the hope is to have a positive and proactive impact on others. I am currently writing a semi-autobiography about a topic I'm wondering if some of us struggle with. It is something which has had such a vast impact on my challenge to heal. So much has already been lost along the way. Not to mention all which was so early on taken away from me. No one can really take away though the words I puts on that page.

    Though facing something difficult I have found can lead to its own issues. Not being up front about what I am most troubled with has provided the opportunity to temporarily keep me safe. It just also sort of hinders my permanent chance of being happy. So it kind of can be like quite the Catch-22 at times.

    :meh:
     
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  8. Thundair

    Thundair Contributor Contributor

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    To me healing means to close a wound. I wrote an autobiography The Resume, and I couldn't send it to the editor because it opened some wounds that made me physically ill.
     
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  9. exweedfarmer

    exweedfarmer Banned Contributor

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    Write it, publish it, get it out in the open so that you can get rid of it. Unless you got raped or something out of your control like that, whatever it was it was probably your fault or something you could have prevented. Admit you were wrong, in print. It can be fictionalized so no one will ever know but write. I had been carrying something for thirty five years and I used it to close a sub plot in the novel of the moment. Poof! The anger, guilt or regret (never did know what to call it) vanished, and as a literary device it worked pretty well.
     
  10. Carly Berg

    Carly Berg Active Member

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    I think cathartic writing is not always the best kind to share.
     
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2019
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  11. deadrats

    deadrats Contributor Contributor

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    I don't think this is fair. A lot of bad and traumatic things happen to people that is not their fault. I would never assume someone turning toward writing as a therapeutic outlet is at some sort of fault for whatever they are trying to work through. And then to just say publish it. There are many steps in between and publishing is a really hard thing. You make it seem like no big deal when it is and it's really hard, and you dismiss the OP or whoever might be trying to recover from something by saying it's there fault when there has been no reason given to believe such.
     
  12. deadrats

    deadrats Contributor Contributor

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    But what about all the memoirs and personal essays? Sometimes I use both fiction and nonfiction to test out situations and feelings or reflect a bit on something in my past. A lot of writers do such and there is a market for it if you can write well. And I believe the writer needs to focus on story and clarity over their emotions for it to really come together and work.

    But therapeutic writing does have it's benefits. I know when I smoke too much pot and get nervous I can just start typing away and it calms me down almost regardless of what I'm writing. I also have used fiction to write a different outcome reflective of some life-like stories. I do think the OP is getting ahead of themselves, worrying about things that haven't been written. I wrote a sad story about my childhood and sold it to a literary journal. So sometimes the things we work through with writing are worth sharing with others. Though, premature anxiety could screw up the whole thing, in my opinion. I guess you have to decide if this is a personal exercise or something more. If it's something more it will likely require a lot more work and a little distance from the actual events.
     
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  13. Cave Troll

    Cave Troll It's Coffee O'clock everywhere. Contributor

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    Kinda, but what I write is all manner of emotions.
    Though if it were real it would be way more awkward. o_O
     
  14. Alan Aspie

    Alan Aspie Banned Contributor

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    To me it is not scenes but themes, topics and tools.

    And if I want to get it published, it is not about helping me but helping those who don't know how to help themselves to find some ways to do it.

    I don't want to help myself in public arena.

    I don't want to help anyone because it is mostly useless. Often help transforms to negative and harmfull kind of empowerment.

    I want to help some people to help themselves. When someone becomes able and willing to help him/herself, it really matters. And it is his/her merit, not mine.

    And being able to help him/herself and succeeding in it is a great motivator.
     
    Last edited: Aug 20, 2018
  15. deadrats

    deadrats Contributor Contributor

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    I think when you get something to a publishable level and then publish it, it stops being therapeutic in terms of the writing, but it can continue to help you in other ways like by giving you validation and credit for your hard work. But somewhere between publishing and indulging in the therapeutic aspects of writing is a lot of hard work. Going through this and pushing yourself to really edit and revise is the hard work. You have to stop looking at it as your personal life and start looking at it in terms of a story. And that can be difficult for a lot of people.

    Unless you're writing a self help book, the help you offer through your writing to readers is that readers might be able to relate. But I don't think you have to worry about empowering the wrong people in the wrong ways with your writing. We are still talking creative writing here like fiction and memoir. which I don't see much harm from. In fact, writing purely therapeutically means you don't have to give the reader one thought. You can always tackle things in revision if needed, but I never worry about the reader at all, ever. And I do publish. I also do like helping people and don't want to put restrictions on that or who reads my work.
     
  16. Xander17

    Xander17 Hermit Archetype Supporter Contributor

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    "Writing to heal."
    This post based on various comments shared.

    I heal due to deep contemplation. Writing had become an integral part of this process.
    Unaware of it's importance at the time or of my passion for writing, I began journaling.

    Came across this quote that conveys my own thoughts on the benefits of journaling.
    Mein himmel, I can't find it. It expressed how the process of writing one's thoughts down forces or encourages one to be very exacting, to clarify your thoughts, and in doing so you get to read a more accurate account of your problem, which in turn aids in the solution process. I want to find that quote because my interpretation is missing the mark.

    What I've also noticed about my journaling, which the majority continues to be about my problems (and my beneficial conclusions throughout the contemplation process), is when putting it to paper, this act brings it out of hiding and forces me to be more honest in acknowledging there's a problem. It makes the problem more real, thus I'm more inclined to acknowledge and want to or have to deal with it. It's brings it out of the realm of the imagination and into the outer reality we live in where the issue causes problems.

    Journaling is also one's private space where all can be laid bare without fear of condemnation or rejection from the world. Even one such as I that had some serious self-esteem issues, unaware of my deep-seated self condemnation programs that ran far too often in my subconscious, even I could write about anything without feeling ashamed of my imperfections - my weaknesses, flaws, inadequacies, fears and social mistakes.

    Journal writing, is self therapy. The very act of expressing something cn have the theraputic effect of releasing negative elements, like venting, like a volcano vents and the internal pressure drops.

    Venting doesn't resolve the problem, but it relieves the emotional pressure so you can think more clearly and effectively, thus potentially have greater success in solving the matter. And as you set out to describe as accurately as possible, this very act is training the mind to take the time to examine and uncover as much as possible, which means you're better informed, and that translates into better understanding, which translates into wiser actions and successful solutions.

    What's written in journals is very private, not for other eyes, but as someone mentioned, you can then take those deeply private ideas and modify them to suit a target audience or help individuals with their problems. You don't have to share your private thoughts verbatim, but they can be the foundation for many others thoughts to grow from.

    "The reason that fiction is more interesting than any other form of literature, to those who really like to study people, is that in fiction the author can really tell the truth without humiliating himself." - Jim Rohn

    “Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures.” - Jessamyn West

    “We care about moral issues, nobility, decency, happiness, goodness - the issues that matter in the real world, but which can only be addressed, in their purity, in fiction.” - Orson Scott Card

    I couldn't find the quote I was looking for, these three relate to it. It's that fiction enables folks to consider truth in a manner that they can handle, like how folks use humor to deliver hard truths.

    Healing comes from accepting and utilising truth, and I imagine there's many ways to convey it, and many ways that people prefer to take it in.

    I'm a reader but not very experienced. I watch and listen far more than read. Though I deeply enjoy fiction via movies, when it comes to writing and sharing my thoughts I don't have a problem with being open and sharing intimate details. I often use actual experiences from my life to convey what I think is useful info for the individual who's seeking help. So to me, it doesn't matter the way it's presented, as the goal is to impart information so healing can occur.
     

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