I have been a reader, writer, and storyteller for as long as I can remember. From the time I was in grammar school, my parents had to scold me to stop reading long enough to do my chores. When I was 13, I started writing down story ideas–fan fiction, really–for my favorite TV show, Star Trek: The Next Generation. Those and other story drafts have never seen the light of day (thankfully), and I slowly shifted my story-telling to voice. Any of my friends and family will tell you I love to tell and hear a good story (definitely my father’s daughter!).
As I went through college, I found my school’s Technical Communication (TC) program. TC is a rather general word for the art and science of conveying complex, technical information to the lay person. That communication takes many forms (written, audible, web-based, video, and graphics), but they all have one thing in common: a strict avoidance of fiction.
Now, I loved my training and I (mostly) enjoy my profession. But a little over a year ago, I had a realization. For many years, I had felt stifled–like I was just going through the motions of life, not connecting myself to the world around me. Part of what I realized was that all my training to “stick to the truth” and be unbiased sort of shut off my creativity valve. I was forced to write day in and day out, 8+ hours a day, 40+ days a week for work. Plus, I was in graduate school, with assignments that had me writing over 3000 words a week. All the enjoyment leaked away. No wonder my creativity was drained!
Then I found Story Circle Network. The minute I saw the ad in my Writer’s Digest magazine, I went upstairs and sent in my membership fee! Bit by bit, I have been rediscovering my voice. I write faithfully almost every day, very pointedly NOT about work. In the last year I have gotten more satisfaction from my personal life than I can ever remember. I am learning to look behind and look ahead, but live in the moment.
The closer I get to myself, the more important my small circle of family and friends becomes. I used to think I was a solitary sort–that may be somewhat true, but I also know now that without the contact of my kindred spirits, my own spirit starts to wilt.
I never gave much thought to the growth and healing that comes with finding your own narrative and writing your life. The big things, the small and mundane. They all shape me and the world as I see it. So I’ve been on a new kind of journey this year. Some people call this “finding yourself.” But how can you find yourself when you’re always changing? “Finding yourself” implies reaching an endpoint and staying there. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that this is not a linear journey we’re on. Now I’m happy to exit the interstate and start exploring some of these side roads. And all because an ad for Story Circle Network grabbed my attention at just the right time.
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