storyteller types: the observer
weekly story work exercise
If you’re new here, Story Work is the name of my current book-in-progress. It describes a process of reflecting, reclaiming, and reimagining the stories of our lives. It involves looking at your life experiences as creative material that you have the power to shape.
The weekly story work topics cover universal life themes with references from literature, philosophy, science, and spirituality; offering perspectives that spark ideas for personal growth and creative expression.
Paid subscribers receive Story Work exercises every Sunday night at 8 pm et.
This week’s story work exercise is the seventh in the Storyteller Types series.
Hi community,
How have you been nurturing your creative spirit this week? I’m here to remind you that your creative practice supports your entire life. When you have an outlet for expression, you have a source of healing, a source of connection. It’s not a luxury you have to earn, it’s a lifestyle you craft with conscious choices and adjustments. Your creative practice is a form of prayer.
When I write to you, my desire is to speak to your creative spirit like it’s a child craving attention and affirmation. I come with invitations to channel your ideas and stories onto the page and into fuller expression in your life.
It’s the end of the year and, naturally, many of us are in a reflective mood. If you have creative callings that won’t leave you alone but seem to fall to the bottom of the list in the shadow of life’s many demands, this is a great time to identify the challenges that get in the way because that is the first step to changing your approach to them.
Here are some of the woes that my clients and fellow writers share with me:
Imposter syndrome and self-doubt, lack of focus and direction, highly sensitive and easily overwhelmed, free spirit who struggles with discipline and structure, paralyzed by fear of failure and success, fear of vulnerability and being perceived and judged, negative thinking and scarcity mindset, being emotionally driven and highly reactive, lack of experience and steep learning curves, all-or-nothing mindset, needing validation and approval to feel motivated, burnout, boredom, and impatience, comparison and jealousy, struggle with responsibilities and conflicting priorities.
All of these challenges can be transformed through self-discovery and story work.
When I plunged into creative entrepreneurship eleven years ago, I learned the hard way that I needed more than technical instruction to make the creative life I wanted a reality. I would sit with all these ideas in my head struggling to get them on paper. It wasn’t until I learned how to manage my energy and emotions that I was able to understand my needs and make lifestyle changes that would bring my creative visions to life.
If you struggle with resistance like this, no amount of technical instruction about how to write is going to help you get words on the page.
There’s emotional work that needs to be done.
Instead of following rules and standards that seem to work for other people, you have to figure out what works for YOU. Going from “I wish this was easier for me…” to “I am committed to experimenting + figuring out what works for me…”
The obstacles I named don’t just come up with creative projects; they come up with any intention to grow, change, evolve, or expand. If you are familiar with these struggles, I created the Creative Courage Writing Intensive for you.
It is offered twice a year, in January and June. Enrollment for the winter cohort, which runs from January 9 - March 20, opens tomorrow. Early bird pricing is available until December 14. Join us to understand your creative work on a deeper level with the support of a compassionate coach + community.
Are you interested in cultivating creative courage in your life and want to learn more? Watch the welcome video to get an overview of the course and to reflect on some introductory prompts that will support your practice.
Before I get into this week’s story work exercise, I also want to remind you about two events we are having next Saturday, December 14.
Inner Story Monthly Storytelling Session (open house) - This December 14 from 10 am - 12 pm, our Inner Story monthly session will be an open house and you are invited to join us. You can attend to listen and engage in discussion, or you are also welcome to share a short piece of writing (500 words or less) with the group. I created a writing guide for this session that includes the story work exercises from the first four storyteller types: self-healer, survivor, gamechanger, and teacher, and I have temporarily removed the paywall from these posts. Whether you join us or not, I encourage you to make a copy of the guide and use it as a self-study resource to enrich your writing practice. You can register here.
Author Chat with Diamonde Williamson - Our next author chat is with writer, artist, and illustrator
Williamson on Saturday, December 14 from 12 - 1 pm et. You can RSVP here. We will be chatting about her creative journey, process and experience writing her book, Deeply Personal: Notes from Facing My Mother Wound. I am giving away a copy of the book and you can put yourself in the running by leaving a comment on this post. To learn more about Diamonde, check out her Substack - Meet Me In the Deep.
the observer
For the last few weeks, I’ve been sharing the eight storyteller types, a tool I created to help writers understand aspects of our creative motivation and how they inform what and how we write.
Simply stated, the Observer is driven to share their opinions. Sometimes I also refer to this one as the Witness.
The Observer is the storyteller type who is concerned with presenting a point-of-view/opinion about an issue. This may include exposing injustice, righting wrongs, clearing the air, or playing devil’s advocate.
If you are motivated to offer a nuanced perspective on a certain topic based on your unique point of view, this is a lane you could thrive in.
Here are a few scenarios: