The Art of Sims Storytelling
Hi guys! @CathyTea and I were talking, and we thought we'd try making a thread that would be focused solely on writing, especially Sims story writing. The writers' lounge thread is great for being ...
Forum Discussion
@MedleyMisty @CathyTea: I at least see storytelling as a sacred, transformative experience for myself. And to address some specific points:
I think a lot of writers have that desire. As much as I often tell myself "this is a hobby that I'm doing for myself first," sometimes I do want to add to that awesome experience of being enraptured by a story. It's such a good feeling when you're enjoying someone else's work. Why not share try and share it if you can?
Though I do share the same doubts you do. While I grew up in a more mainstream area (being middle/upper-class and suburban/kind of urban), I draw a lot from my weirder experiences (heck, the first version of Eight Cicadas existed for me to vent about nervousness, autistic/neurodivergent experiences, and how alienating being LGBT can be, behind a proxy. And it still kind of is that). But I think that no matter how weird anyone's background and upbringing are, there's little chance that there's nothing you can bring to the table to still evoke that experience in readers.
You say that you've reached a few in spite of your "weirdness," so I guess I'm just reiterating. :)
I think that's a caveat of how personal storytelling can be. It can be the best way to open up about yourself and your experiences, but it also allows for someone's deep, ugly attitudes to shine through. Those feelings are personal too...but it's also less and less excusable in this day and age. I won't pretend that racism/misogyny/homophobia/etc. is even close to over, but there are more resources today than ever before for unlearning prejudices like that.
I tend to apply a lot of "fair for its day" excusing for older works when I read them, though. I save my rage for those that deserve it more. :p
I agree fully. If I can feel something personal in a story, even if it might only be applicable to the author, I at least feel the sacredness or general good vibes.
There's also the mindset of "if it changes just one person-" I continue knowing that maybe I have the potential to help one other person with my stories. It sounds a little arrogant to say "I'm doing this for the greater good," but I had a lot of feelings about my own experiences with family and role models, belongingness, or abuse that I try to channel as a way for myself to heal and cope. If I can help one other person with that through my writing, then I'll feel fine with what I do.
"MedleyMisty;14346679" wrote:
Going back to the LotR movies - you could feel it, sitting in that theater. It was packed, and every human there was silent and enraptured and living in the Story being presented to them. It was deeply human, and it said things that mattered to them, down in their souls.
I haven't created anything like that yet. It is my deepest wish, but I haven't done it yet. I don't know if I can, because my brain is so weird. I don't know if I have enough access to the shared human experience to create a story that would reach the souls of so many people.
I think a lot of writers have that desire. As much as I often tell myself "this is a hobby that I'm doing for myself first," sometimes I do want to add to that awesome experience of being enraptured by a story. It's such a good feeling when you're enjoying someone else's work. Why not share try and share it if you can?
Though I do share the same doubts you do. While I grew up in a more mainstream area (being middle/upper-class and suburban/kind of urban), I draw a lot from my weirder experiences (heck, the first version of Eight Cicadas existed for me to vent about nervousness, autistic/neurodivergent experiences, and how alienating being LGBT can be, behind a proxy. And it still kind of is that). But I think that no matter how weird anyone's background and upbringing are, there's little chance that there's nothing you can bring to the table to still evoke that experience in readers.
You say that you've reached a few in spite of your "weirdness," so I guess I'm just reiterating. :)
"MedleyMisty;14346679" wrote:
If I were to define the profane...I'd say it's stories that do not serve the sacred. It's stories that exploit and abuse and that cater to the worst in humans. And sometimes you find the two mixed together, where the author reached for the sacred but they were limited by their prejudices and their assumptions and what they had internalized from their society. There are older works that I really enjoy for what they have to say while also flinching at the racism and sexism and dehumanization of the Other.
I think that's a caveat of how personal storytelling can be. It can be the best way to open up about yourself and your experiences, but it also allows for someone's deep, ugly attitudes to shine through. Those feelings are personal too...but it's also less and less excusable in this day and age. I won't pretend that racism/misogyny/homophobia/etc. is even close to over, but there are more resources today than ever before for unlearning prejudices like that.
I tend to apply a lot of "fair for its day" excusing for older works when I read them, though. I save my rage for those that deserve it more. :p
"CathyTea;14347364" wrote:
For me, the sacred part comes with healing and transcendence. I love those stories that give me wings of a dove inside! And I agree that this can come through any medium. It's when we express our deepest meanings. When I think of the SimLit that's touched me deeply this year, it's always been those works in which the writer is expressing her meaning, sharing it. It's not aiming at entertainment or pleasing readers. It's finding the story that brings into expression this meaning within that the writer is longing to see in form.
I agree fully. If I can feel something personal in a story, even if it might only be applicable to the author, I at least feel the sacredness or general good vibes.
There's also the mindset of "if it changes just one person-" I continue knowing that maybe I have the potential to help one other person with my stories. It sounds a little arrogant to say "I'm doing this for the greater good," but I had a lot of feelings about my own experiences with family and role models, belongingness, or abuse that I try to channel as a way for myself to heal and cope. If I can help one other person with that through my writing, then I'll feel fine with what I do.
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