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| |  | Michael Fox CPCC,
founder of m�agine!,
is a professional
coach and trainer,
author and creative artist, whose work has been featured throughout
the world.
Michael is a
Certified Practitioner
of the
Myers-Briggs
Type Indicator.�
Do you know someone
who might benefit
from our weekly email?
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Many of those who love to write and many of those who, well, tend to wallow in the shallow end of life's pool have at least this in common. They tend to assume that they and their circumstances are unique, and that they, therefore, transcend rudimentary judgments around their behavior. Truth, however, contradicts their--okay, our--pleas of justification and distinction.
Of the former--writers--mythologist Joseph Campbell argues convincingly that all stories can be reduced to one of two plot lines: either, Hero Takes a Journey, or Stranger Comes to Town. (Of course, real trouble starts when a stranger comes to town while our resident hero is off somewhere lollygagging on a journey.) Think of your favorite works of fiction--and actually much non-fiction as well; you'd be hard pressed to prove Mr. Campbell wrong.
Of the latter--sinners and other miscreants--no less a moral authority than the Apostle Paul declared, "The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience." (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Rats.
So much for the distinctions that some who write and some who wrong use to separate themselves from the common folk.
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Further, leaving the miscreants behind, writers of fiction labor under even greater restraints than the two universal plot lines. Successful storytellers commonly--argh, there's that word again--use an eight-point "story arc" to evaluate the structure of their work as they write. The purpose of a story arc is to move a character from one state to another, or, in other words, to effect transformation. The classic story arc, as delineated by Nigel Watts in Teach Yourself Writing a Novel, includes the following key stages: Stasis, Trigger, Quest, Surprise, Critical Choice, Climax, Reversal, Resolution. Stories can have multiple arcs interwoven that form a comprehensive arc of greater complexity.
Author Terry Hershey observes that some stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end, "all tied up with twine and sealed with a kiss." Other stories, he acknowledges, "are larger, though, and we must make our homes right in the midst of the mystery."
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It's curious that we welcome story arcs of greater ambiguity, featuring unexpected twists and turns, when we have found a good book.
Why, then, are we so impatient when our own narratives are not quickly understood or resolved? Once again, from Mr. Hershey:
I am ever grasping for a timeline too, wanting to know whether this is a short season to savor or a long one with hatches to be battened down. I keep scrambling to arrange the scraps of my story into some semblance of cohesive narrative, a work that holds the tensions of grief and joy, longing and contentment. We live in a kingdom coming on earth as it is in heaven in a world where we see only through a glass dimly.
Story arcs are made of chapters,
are made of paragraphs,
are made of sentences,
are made of words,
are made of letters,
are made of single strokes of ink.
How then might we welcome the larger, more compelling, story arcs into our lives--even those accompanied by adversity and monotony--assured that the resultant narrative will be richer, more abundant? What would it take to "make our homes right in the midst of the mystery"? |
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Michael Fox
m�agine!
530/613.2774
407 Myrtle Drive
Farmerville, LA, USA 71241 |
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In addition to personal and professional coaching,
m�agine! specializes in spiritual transformation coaching,
employing its proprietary models
--Values, Vision, Voice and Heart, Soul, Mind & Strength--
as well as
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator� curriculum
published by CPP, the People Development People.
Michael's books include
Complete in Christ,
Complete in Christ Spiritual Transformation Workbook,
and Biblio�files.
Coaching fees are based upon a sliding scale. Contact us for details.
For additional information, visit our website at maginethepossibilities.net.
Limited scholarships are available for spiritual transformation coaching.
On the flip side, if you are able, please inquire about opportunities
to fund scholarships for those who cannot afford coaching fees.
View our archives!
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