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Put Spirit into Your Writing
Disney movies are some of the most emotional, heart-wrenching stories I’ve ever seen.
One particular movie that gets me right in the heart every time is Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. It isn’t a Disney (DreamWorks made this one – thanks, Deb!), but damn… It chokes me up from the get-go, as the herd of wild mustangs with pounding hooves crests a hill at a gallop to a swelling symphony of proud, rich music.
When that moment comes, I can’t even talk or my voice will break. I get tears in my eyes every time. (And with a toddler in the house, I’ve seen Spirit so often I can recite the words in my sleep.)
Imagine evoking that much emotion in your reader with your content. Imagine having a person choke up as they read or cheer when the content comes to a flourishing finish. Imagine compelling someone so strongly that they just had to act on what you wrote.
The best thing is, you can.
Spirit is just a drawing created with a pen held by artists, after all. And writers are artists, too. Your pen can convey just as much Spirit as the cartoon mustang on the screen.
Put Spirit in your content, and watch the effects of your words. Here’s how:
Spirit is proud and free, with nothing holding him back from what he wants despite challenges galore. He never gives up in the face of obstacles, always keeping his heart and soul on the path to his personal freedom.
Likewise, your heart and soul sets you on your own path to writing freedom. Have pride in your work and allow yourself to write freely. Face the obstacles you might come up against with the determination to succeed.
But don’t be too determined that you become ruthless. Spirit has quite the charming side. He’s a friendly, caring creature who bonds with loyalty. He’s funny, unwittingly playing the fool and loftily trying to spare his pride once he realizes he looks like an idiot.
As a writer and a person, you will make mistakes. You’re human, not a cartoon. You goof up and your plans might backfire in a way that leaves you looking a little silly. That’s okay – laugh at the situation. It isn’t the end of the world. Chuckle over the screw-ups and be proud about the lessons you learned.
Spirit is all about learning, too. He find solutions to his problems, and he’s flexible enough to use the opportunities and resources available. He’s a quick thinker, taking what comes on the fly and turning it into an opportunity.
Find your own opportunities. Seek the solutions to your problems instead of stagnating. Be flexible and look at all the potential options. When something goes wrong, use your smarts to grasp the opportunities or positive aspects of the moment. There’s good in everything – you just have to open your eyes and see that positive side.
But Spirit can be wary. He knows not all is rosy in the world. He sees the potential danger in events. He’s protective, snorting at the laughing Indians because they hurt Spirit’s newfound friend’s feelings. He defends his land and his herd, and even when he’s ripped away from his home for exploitation, he knows exactly where he should be.
Writer, know thyself. Know what you stand for, your beliefs and your values. Listen to others but know your own mind as well – and act accordingly. If it feels right, it belongs to you.
Stand tall and proud, and do everything in your power to seize your place in the world. Be wise, wary and suspicious of pitfalls that aren’t in plain view, but don’t let fear stop you.
Be strong. Be free. Find the eagle that soars above you and become it, flying high over all that held you down so long.
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Wow! Inspirational!
I cry when I watch Spirit too. My kids love horses so I’ll have to make sure I go buy the DVD soon. It’s been too long since we lasted watched the movie.
Giving spirit to your writing takes a great deal of courage. It’s about opening your soul to the words and writing yourself to the page. I think that is why spirit connects so deeply with readers (and viewers), it is life, real experience in real moments that come out in a mural of words. Transcendence in language.
Perhaps we should all strive for that level more often, in everything we write. Cast off fear and withstand the papercuts that are inevitable when you bare yourself on the page.
Rebecca Laffar-Smith’s last blog post..Page 123 and the AW January Blog Chain
I think so too. I think it’s very much about being who you are as a person and living up to that. I can’t say it better than you did, Rebecca, so thank you for giving me the right words
Thanks for the (inadvertent) movie recommendation. I’ll be sure to check it out, tissue box nearby.
But really, thanks for the excellent post. I’m very new to the blogging world, and as I start reading other blogs, I’m finding that there are so many out there blogging on the same topics I like, that I sometimes wonder, “What have I gotten myself into?”
This post really reminds me to simply work on writing, to find my own path (Light Side or Dark?).
Nez’s last blog post..A Most Precious Possession
@Nez: That depends on whether you want to become a Jedi or a Sith Lord.
It is a bit overwhelming when you first start out, and there will be times after you’ve been blogging for a while that you still get those same feelings. I often find myself deleting or revising posts we have scheduled to go up because someone else beat me to the topic. That just forces me to dig deeper and come up with something unique.
Okay, the post WAS great, inspiring, moving . . . all that. But, um, “Spirit” wasn’t a Disney movie. It was produced by their competition–Dream Works.
My favorite Disney moment? When the Beast opens the drapes in the library and gives Belle alllllll those books to read. Be still my heart!
–Deb’s last blog post..Better Than Two Pistols at Dawn
Oh, and–you were surprised at the massive blog commenting/responding via email rather than in the comments hoopla over at the knitting blogs? You should check out the responses to my post last night about blog stats . . . apparently, very few people bother to even check….
You know, if you wanted to risk another round of culture-shock.
–Deb’s last blog post..Static
@Deb: you’re right, I forgot it was done by Dream Works. I believe those guys started out working for Disney and then went off on their own.
Thanks for the heads up on the culture shock, I’ll go have a look now.
@ Deb – Ben, calisse. I was *sure* it was Disney. Correcting, thank you.
And no. A blog not checking stats? That’s just taboo.
@ Nez – There will always be someone blogging on what you like – but there is only one of you, and you are unique. Use that voice and make a difference.
My favorite bloggers write out of their own experiences and what they learned from those experiences that might benefit others by the sharing. Maybe those are my favorites because that is my own style of writing too. It is your personal stories that I love reading.
Patricia – Spiritual Journey Of A Lightworker’s last blog post..Tag—You’re It—Another Meme