Self Expression and Trauma
I have been working with a main character who is going through multiple layers of trauma. I started looking from a side angle at my character and asked,
How does my character release trauma?
We all have ways of releasing tension. We sing in the shower, take a drive, write, dance, run, etc. More on this in a bit.
As some of you may know I have taken time away from both social media and college to write. I saw a golden opportunity between Sept 10 and Jan 1 to really commit and write or work on my drafts every day.
I being by journaling in two journals.
One is Danielle LePorte’s Desire Map Planner because I like the questions it asks me. The other one I use is a notebook inside a leather cover. Between those two things, answering questions, listing gratitude and free journaling I get my mind into a place of words creating reality and I begin my day’s work.
I quickly learned that word count is meaningless when you are rewriting and the secret is more about commiting to time spent rather than a number.
Every day I choose how to spend my time
and lately that has meant pouring over a few books on plotting.
Right now I am using “Structuring Your Novel” by K.M. Weiland and it is really helping me buckle down and get to the essence of this story that has been with me for decades!
I came up with a few new character questions and a plan for #NANOWRIMO which I will be sharing in the weeks ahead. I promise it will be fun!
Here is your new question:
How does your character express themselves? How do they release trauma?
Is it in art, music, dance, athletics, or journals?
Especially if you have a character dealing with a trauma, What is their outlet for the oceans of emotions?
What is yours?
Share it with us! I write, knit and workout or do yoga. Walking I find to be a mindful meditation.
One Response
Kelli Heitstuman-Tomko
I hit the road. I find I’m happiest and the most relaxed behind the wheel of my car, and wanderlust is an incredible catharsis for me. When I lived Colorado, I would head for the mountains. In Nevada, I just want a road I’ve never driven, and, being new to the state that’s pretty much all of them. Sometimes I take my camera and sometimes it’s just me and a favorite playlist. When I’ve worked out my issue for the day, I write. Between my pen and my camera, I’m saving a bundle on therapy.