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Let the Story be Told

                                                                by Dr.  MaMa. Akosua Ali-Sabree

Living life provides each of us with material or a story to tell. Some stories are full of excitement and awe while others are sad and distressful. Because of human fragility, some people believe they are having a unique experience not known to others. Therefore, the thought that their story would be of interest or hold any value to any readers escapes the would-be writer.  The trick for most would-be writers is to push past emotional editing and naysayers and just tell their stories. Often times instead of the innate creativity flowing freely, it comes to a standstill. What gets in the way are fear, guilt, lack of self-confidence, and feelings of shame, regret, and overwhelming ideas. Varying degrees of these feelings seem to creep into consciousness after having been secretly operating just under the surface.

The quest then becomes how to overcome seemingly intense emotions and how to stimulate the innate creativity and share a story waiting to be told. The most powerful tool all writers have is their imagination. Now, many may say if the story waiting to be told reflects actual life experiences or a concept that screams to be heard what is the need for active imagination? Words and ideas that come to mind can be so overwhelming and so jumbled that a would-be writer gets discouraged because those words and ideas seem to be stuck in the creativity pipeline and fail to appear on paper or on the computer screen. Motivation, imagination, and courage are needed to allow the writer to get out of his or her own way.

Motivation, the reason why a writer wanted to tell the story in the first place, could help move the words from the head to the pen and paper. That motivation can free the writer from preconceived notions of failure and no-worthiness. Imagination can help organize the ideas in such a manner that the gist of the experience or story can manifest either quickly or without warning. Imagination sometimes needs to be revived. As people age, somehow the free flowing imagination is put into a box or forgotten that it ever existed. Meditation and/or practice imagining enjoying a favorite spot, relaxing trip, or travelling to a magical or special place can do wonders to stimulate creativity and remove blockages.  Courage ignited decreases intense emotions. That same courage is necessary to boost self-awareness, self-confidence, productive passion, and the will to get the job done. Not fearing what others will say or think, not fearing how the story looks or sounds are all the result of having courage to tell the story waiting to be created or revealed.

For new or seasoned writers, increased reading and having a concerned or patience proofreader and editor can greatly help the writing process. Some would-be writers mistakenly believe they can proofread their own story. It is a mistake to self-edit the final version because the writer unknowingly misses fine points. The proofreading and diligent editing can help pull all the elements together: motivation, imagination, courage, and a good story. The end product is usually something that reflects unleashed creativity and something of value to the writer and readers. Therefore, it is a good idea to get out of one’s own way and let the story be told.