Writing from The Heart: Inspect The Feelings That Go With Acts

Writing from The Heart

"Writing from The Heart" is a workshop on creative writing, creative drawing, and creative drama. There are three available versions of this workshop: one for beginners on the secondary, tertiary, and graduate levels, and another for practitioners. A third version of this workshop is designed as an outreach program to disadvantaged and underserved audiences such as the disabled, the poor and the marginalized, victims of human trafficking, battered women and abused children, drug rehabilitation center residents, child combatants, children in conflict with the law, prisoners, and gang leaders. This third version incorporates creativity and problem awareness, conflict resolution, crisis intervention, trauma therapy, and peacemaking.

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Inspect The Feelings That Go With Acts

The warp and woof of your work are in your everyday life.

Inspect the feelings that go with acts.

For example, if you are giving a gift to someone, what are your feelings that go with the act? How are your feelings related to the person you are giving the gift to? to the gift itself, and when and where you purchased it? to the act of giving itself?

Afterward, explore the feeling from different perspectives:

Did you give generously? What if you gave begrudgingly?

Did you give unconditionally? What if you gave with expectations of reciprocation?

Did you give to a friend? What if that friend were of romantic interest to you? Or an enemy? Or a mere business partner?

Inspecting and exploring feelings that go with acts--yours or other persons'--help not only in understanding yourself and other people but in creating and amplifying characterization in the service of creative writing.