“Storytelling is transformational because it helps you move from one place of knowing and understanding to another”
Anjanette Fennell is a literary coach and agent who finally found her calling when she combined her passion for writing with her compulsion to help others find and honor their own voice. The way she sees it, “storytelling is spiritual and we have the power to tweak or completely shift our story on a daily basis.”
In this evocative episode, Anjanette shares with us her iteration of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey and we have an exceptional discussion about how just merely knowing about these steps can lighten any struggle or challenge that you’re currently facing; and more powerful yet, how telling/writing your story can help you through to the other end of transformation. In between, there are mighty nuggets of wisdom about surrender, facing the dark places and moving through change.
Topic Summary:
The 5 steps of a story: opening scene, inciting incident (you saw and now you can’t un-see), messy middle, final battle, transformation
How to use the steps of a story to help you through struggles in your own life
How telling/writing your story can help you through transformation
How even writing fiction stories can be healing
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Key Nuggets:
Story:
There’s a general path that every story takes - in movies, books, life, nature….everything
Anjanette’s Iteration of Hero’s Journey:
Opening Scene: this is what life is like right now
Inciting Incident: something happens that you can’t un-see, un-hear, un-know. Life as you know it will never be the same (ex. meet the love of your life, get diagnosed with an illness…)
Messy middle: many parts to this including
Denial: you may try to pretend that thing that you can’t un-see, un-hear, un-know didn’t happen. You try to go back to status quo (the opening scene) but it no longer exists!
There’s a struggle to accept this change and usually the main character (if it’s your own story then the main character is you) tries and does everything but that thing they need to do. The paradox is that that thing you don’t want to do is the only way to the other side of transformation.
That “thing” usually means peak vulnerability
Final Battle: Only when you surrender can you move onto the final battle
Transformation
Surrender
What the messy middle asks for you to do is to surrender. Stop resisting. You can’t trick the universe and say that you’re surrendering and not really do it. You must feel and experience it.
The most control you have throughout the path of a story is in the messy middle because there you can decide how long you want to languish before you let go and surrender.
Use Storytelling to Heal:
Storytelling helps you see where you are in your life. It gives you relief knowing what’s to come next and perhaps you may even move more swiftly through it (ex. if you know you’re in the messy middle and identify it then you may be more inclined to surrender faster).
We’re constantly playing out millions of stories; we get to use this story formula again and again.
You don’t even need to write out your story - just find a way to express it and you’ll find healing.
If there’s something particularly troubling or triggering for you and you aren’t ready to be too close to it then write it out in fiction! Whether you actually tell it as yourself or a fictional character named Sally, you’ll find healing all the same.
A Word On Transformation:
Once a transformation is done, it’s done. Each new story is a new transformation. Ex. Once you have a baby you can’t re-have that same baby.
One of Your Biggest Lessons So Far:
You can’t get it wrong because it’s your story. However you tell it, it’s your story.
It’s okay to own your truth and your truth can’t be wrong because it’s yours.
What is one nugget of wisdom that you would share with fellow seekers who are on this journey of growth and transformation?
Story is in everything – you can’t hack your way past the hard parts of it but when you know the process, it can help. Whatever is triggering you or troubling you in the moment, identify where you are in your story and take comfort in knowing what’s to come. You know you’ve been there before and you can get through it .
Links:
If you have any questions for Anjanette or want to learn more, connect with her through:
Website: http://www.anjanettefennell.com/
Facebook: @storyaslife
Instagram: @anj_fen