Sharing your struggles in Writing & in Life:

Sharing your struggles in Writing & in Life:

            I am the type of person that believes that when a challenge or a theme continually appears in your life it is a sign that it is a block of yours that needs removing. It is something that if worked through may make you a better or more complete person. It may bring you closer to your own purpose in life on this Earth. It may also bring into your life connections of people that have experienced similar things.

            Working to unblock yourself is grueling, sometimes endless work, but it can be very worth it. When you have moments where you are showing your best self to the world it is a wonderful feeling. To shine your own inner light lifts your spirit and quiets a normally loud negative ego. It is also very satisfying when you share your personal struggles and journey with others and they respond in a positive way, saying things like they understand or they’ve been there or that they are thinking of you or praying for you. These kinds of connections and positive reinforcements are so nice to receive because they can remind us that we are not alone and that others can relate, and make no mistake others can relate! I guarantee that whatever you are going through or whatever is bothering you, others have faced similar circumstances. Knowing that others have faced similar things doesn’t make you feel less important, like you might think it would, on the contrary it makes you feel better. So I say share those things with others and see what reactions you get. 

            In novels, especially fantasy novels, often the main character or hero is facing a journey or destiny that they believe is all on them. They think that the burdens they feel cannot be matched by others and that they cannot be lifted by others. Think about poor Froto Baggins from the Lord of the Rings. He had to carry that awful cursed ring all the way into Mordor to throw it in the lava and destroy it before it destroyed him, (and he was just one tiny hobbit!) But in truth, even though he felt like it at times, he was never alone. It was never only his task it was Sam’s too, his traveling companion. It was the other characters too, the elves, the men, the dwarves everyone. They all had their own burden of keeping the enemies distracted and away from Froto so that he could complete this task.

           

Let’s look at the children from the Narnia books, Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter, their task from the moment they stumbled through the wardrobe was to free Narnia from the curse of the White Witch. They at times felt very alone and desperate, thinking, how can we possibly do this we are just children. But it was when they started trusting in their new animal friends and the other people of Narnia to help them that they gained the courage to carry on with their task and help the land of Narnia and its people. They could have just as easily said, “yeah…we’re going home now, good luck.” But they didn’t, they shared their burdens and fears with others and asked for support and that is what they got.

            Third, (and I know I talk about him all the time, but I can’t help it I’m a Potterhead.) Let’s look at Harry Potter. Poor kid just wants to be a regular wizard kid, but from babyhood he’s the chosen one. What does this mean, well ultimately we find out that he has to face Voldemort, (the most evil wizard of all time,) and to boot, it means that, “Neither can live while the other survives” (Part of Sybil Trelawney’s Prophecy). So, one of the two of them is going to die. Great……poor Harry, what a burden to put on a kid. However, throughout the series we come to realize that again, Harry is the chosen one, but does that mean he is forced to carry the burden of killing Voldemort and saving the wizarding world by himself? No, it does not. Harry, as we come to find out, absolutely needs his friends and even strangers to help him succeed. I don’t think he would have lasted past the first month at Hogwarts without the help of Hermione and Ron. Not to mention his amazing professors and headmaster who were constantly watching out for him even when he didn’t know it or was thinking the worst of them, (aka Snape.) These people always had his back and it was when he truly realized that, that he became even stronger. He realized that he was never truly alone and that that is what set him apart from Voldemort.

            Lastly, I look at my own novel, in the Burden of Destiny the main character Isobel is given the task of finding elven tribes that have been hidden for centuries and convincing them to join with humans, (whom they mistrust,) to stop an evil plot before it gains a foothold. Isobel is just a poor farm girl, she thinks, why would anyone listen to me. She doubts herself and feels that the weight of her mission is all on her. But her best friend makes her see that everyone has a part to play and that even if she had chosen not to lead the fight against the dark forces the dark forces would still be gathering and causing harm so someone would have to step up and lead. She just happened to be the one chosen, but that did not mean that she was alone in it.

            I think what we can learn from writing is that when you are willing to open yourself up and be truly you and share your burdens that is when the world will reward you with support. I’ll be honest I struggle with a lot of things in life, (my writing only being one of them.) But with regard to writing, I struggle with, fitting in time to write, trusting that writing is what I am supposed to do and share with the world. Wondering why I bother or if anyone is reading my work, wondering if I should change the way I am writing and marketing and publishing. All of these doubts and fears and burdens swim through my head at all times, however I have noticed that when I share them with others I make deep, true connections with other people who have felt the exact same things. Other writers, authors, business people etc have shared their own struggles and their own successes with me and offered advice or just a kind word like, keep it up, you can do it. This is the kind of thing that I think we need more of in our world today. We need less tearing each other down or spewing negative comments and more trying to lift one another up and support each other. Everyone struggles with something in their lives and it makes us better people if we can try to help another person by empathizing with what their going through and sending them kind words and thoughts. I feel like the world would be a much nicer place if we all did this. So in conclusion dear readers, I guess I am saying that if you are struggling with something and feel alone, try sharing it with other people, you may gain the courage, or empathy, or positive energy you needed to unblock your block, slay your giant, defeat your enemy wizard, destroy a cursed object and so forth. ;) And when you do receive this, remember to pay it forward and try to help someone else defeat their demons. Until next time dear readers remember, writing=happiness ;).