I was talking to someone, today, and I was asked about mythology. His interest was peaked by my re-reading Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces. His question was, what is mythology? I tried to explain that it was nothing more than theology and philosophy. The asking and answering of questions pertaining to the study of one's spiritual life. He looked at me as if I was speaking Spanish. So, I told him that it was Fairy Tales for adults. This resonated with him, but he then asked me, if I thought that the people were confused enough without mythology. I told him it quite the opposite mythology gives stability as fairy tales gave to us when we were children. We, mythologists, help with everything from rites of passages to journeys of a thousand steps within.
His question did get me to thinking. Story or reality, what comes first? In my humble opinion, story must come first. Look at the society of the world and one can see the absence of story, of a focal point, a goal. But then I think, where does story come from? Again, in my humble opinion, we get our stories from the collective energetic thought pool. That big jar with characters, plots, stories, and dramatic questions in it. For is it not the artist who pulls from the Creator who become a creator. Meaning, I'm back at square one with the question. The truth of the matter is the process of storytelling rises from within. Theme, when written correctly, will always present a valid point regarding life. I mean there are only four themes anyway. My favorite and probably the favorite of most mythologists is man v god. There can be no man v man without surrendering to the fact that, if science or Jehovah, you have a god; then and only then are you able to wrestle with this being. Otherwise, we have straw men arguments that no one wants to read. Then there is the message, that must be premeditated in delivery better than foreshadowing. Truth of the matter is there is a reality that lies dormant in the story until the writer chisels it out. Constantly homing in on what is it that is trying to be told. Because the true mythologist has an ear for story on top of her hours learning the craft and its theories. With that said, no, there is no way we can confuse the public by telling well-constructed myths. But the shit ain't easy! There is the bottom-line of how well of an experience the writer has provided. Has she entertained, explained, and expanded the mind of the listener? Is experience according to the standards and intentions of mythology? No mythologist worth their weight in gold or salt would forget that the final product needs to answer these two questions: is it a story and is it reality. It's the chicken and the egg question. What comes first the story or the religious reality? There will be no answer. There should be no question; because it's only those looking outside who dare to ask so. With that said, we've wasted valuable time on this issue. Time to return back to work and to design my current story that will be constructed to look like reality. Thanks for Listening! Sabrina Louise Andielle Crow Crew
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There is nothing more frightening than when your schooling ends and your profession begin; no matter what's the field. This especially rings true for the creative artist. Take our profession, writing mythologies, we not only create myths but culture. Don't believe? Look at the way sales correspond with the social momentum. When we are needed most (just speaking of mythologist) society is in a very low place and needs a vehicle powerful enough to jump over the Grand Canyon of fear and negation. So, unlike the other genres, our writing slightly overlook cultural beliefs instead of confirming them, because we are making the path for the upcoming generational era. YA, the current hot iron, may present something different but it's contemporary and I don't believe it will have the emotional staying power of Myth. Meaning three thousands years from now I don't see a book such as "Everything, Everything" being held in the light that it is today.
There are so many things one must remember when starting their position in the world as a Mythologist Fellow. Our stories are information, but they come from a Source which is beyond us . . . half the time we know not what we did or how we got there. There is no constant updated manuals for the division of Fellow; one must follow their gut and throw caution to the wind. Especially since we are not our product, which is such the case for others in this emerging Age of Information. We are; however, the ones who lay the foundation and it is known, even as a Fellow, that if we crack the entire thing that the Unseen and Unnamed Creator is building will fall and the One has to start over. Not that I'm placing any more pressure on the shoulders of the mythologist, because history has proven that born unto the world are wordsmiths who know how to provide an experience of initiation when needed most. So, after relaxing know that there are a few tricks that have been passed on to our generation. Things which makes being a Fellow a little easier. Keeping the entire story in your mind while it is being channeled and kneed is impossible- don't try it; break it down into chucks. Start off with the first 5 pages, then the first 50, then each Act on its own, and don't worry about the middle because that is where all your action is going to go. Don't concern yourself with what order of societal advancement you're bringing to the banquet table of life. Remember this, you did not cook the dish being presented only delivering it. Leave what is God's to God and get out of the way. And know that those with ears to hear will be awaken by your professional myths and final presentations of imagination. Just do your best and turn fear into faith and negation into affirmation. Which can only be done by getting out there with our assigned products and try to sale, sale, sale. The longer you spend time with the masterpiece which you are attempting to market, the more you can love it, and the easier it becomes to sale. Also, other skills can be taught. Proper format, jargon, appearance, presentation, and the such, they will come with time. And aspects needed in the game of life will spill over into your proposal and product from other areas of living- such as keeping up with your reading. Fellowship isn't so bad; once the ball is rolling. Thanks for Listening! Sabrina Louise Andielle Crow Crew With all my talk about the upcoming rebirth of mythology; I haven't dug deep into what I see when designing characters, and the journeys they must go on in order to add a new vibrational energy to the collective thoughts of the reader. So, let me start by saying, I believe that this world we live in is nothing but a simulation of information that was imprinted on each and every thought being in existence. We are not as individuals, or as a collective, the Source of our experience though we do get to decide when and how to experience our experiences. This fact is the core of my characters.
For too long, it has been said that we authors have little say in what goes on in our novel. That we as gods or creators of an imaginary, far reaching, world which we share with our reality, have no sway over what is going to happen in them. That we are writing with one headlight in the fog, even after we've completed the first draft. Bullshit! Is there any wonder why novels are recycling stories, with that mentality? We as reflective creator gods, have to put our foot down like all powerful people do. We have to tell our characters that the buck stops with us. Once we gain that type confidence then we can do anything. And by anything I'm suggesting we fulfill the need for a new style . . . I mean hero. That is going to take some getting used to but let's look at what the Unnamed and Unseen Creator God is sending through the gridlines. We can do this not by what anyone says but what everyone say. First, we say we are spirits having a material experience. Yet, we have forgotten that to be spirits we must become Spirits. That ain't easy. Which means, mythologist, that we have something to write about right there. Second, we say we are gods, not God but in God which makes us gods. No one has really defined how to learn how to be gods because it takes a god to raise a god. What are we? Mythologist, we are gods . . . creator gods; especially when we are on our own spiritual adventure. Hence another thing to write about. Third, we say we are immortal. No one speaks in common language of immortality as if we were immortals. Sounds like a job for a few mythologists. Lastly, for the sake of space, we say we are lightworkers from the stars. How many stories can you think of, mythologist, which touch on this subject. Remember I have stated that if we do our job correctly, the publishing houses will be knocking down our doors. Because no matter what, we must still tell a good story. Just like life within this thought simulator, the rules and understanding of the basic principles have been laid out for us. We know there is a beginning, a middle, and an end. Hopefully we also know what goes in each section and not just a beginning, middle, and end. We know that there is a greed, a hunger, for stories which takes readers to superhero status in places far, far away or in the next big city. Upon accompanying the author on an adventure of a divine character created just for them- or at least feels that way, they will be craving for more. We are guides, way-showers, and until we embrace this fact, we will never be trusted with the raw material of stories covering subjects such as those four mentioned above. It's hard but it isn't difficult. As Denzel Washington said, "If it was easy," there would be no masters of the craft. As we are all at the bottom awaiting to rise, like yeast, know that embracing the craft and owning our mastery is what will convince the Universe to "give" us the chances we need. Because, we will have risen in vibration and the thinker behind the thought beings will rise to meet us. Always! Thanks for Listening! Sabrina Louise Andielle Crow Crew It may seem that I'm all rainbows and sunshine about being a mythologist- all the time. But as we know, looks may be deceiving. I too am in the dark when it comes to this birthing of a new mythology. Hell, I barely got the old mythology down. But I do know that I must keep forward or I will die. It's like the Floetry song, "I'll die." I would bet my two pennies, no by two dollars, that you are in the same boat; yet you cannot ignore writing. Not if you're still reading this blog post.
Being in the darkness isn't too bad. Yeah, there are creepy crawling things and its cold to the point you think you're in the land of the dead, but you are cocooned from the brightness of the light and the brutal toughness of the wind. At this moment we are not in danger of being snatched up by something bigger and meaner. These are just some of the benefits of being in the dark. Not all things will align. Many drafts will be needed to tell a good story and deliver a message. But as far as history has shown, the message is the thing that must be damn near flawless. We are held to a standard which fluffy, eye-candy is not. Plus, we are the renaissance of mythology. We can't just go about doing whatever we like, there are still rules to this even if it appears no one is watching. Who knows which of us may be taught in the high schools and colleges in a couple of centuries? Although as a writer we are to write for ourselves, as a mythologist the aim is to write in order to change the social momentum. So yes, we are stumbling in the darkness. Just as society is trying to learn to tie its shoes. And although we can say that the key factors of today are love, light, and peace, what will be the key factors of tomorrow? We as the regeneration should not look at the generated as hope because we will find no answers there. Always done, always get. Solutions' vibration must be higher than the vibration of the problem's. The bright side of all this is our freedom. At the moment we have no restraints or restrains as we are the bringers of the dawn. We are able to co-create with the publishing house, especially since what we are writing follow basic protocol. They can't do this without us and at the moment we can't do this without us. Because we are in our own lane delivering Truths from the Universe and the Collective Oneness, we become identifiers of the standards of tomorrow. Hold on! The sunshine and all the other things we ignorantly wish for are on the way. There is a collective, a whisper, that only the Great Mystery knows about in details. But it is not our business to know the details. We must keep the Keep while the heathens are banging at the door. Can you image their predicament? Trying to stop us. No matter the size of our group, the time is coming near for us to arise and maintain the new standard. Stay at this. Learn the darkness. And know that it will not last forever. Thanks for Listening! Sabrina Louise Andielle Crow Crew According to the sixth step of the twelve steps of the Hero's Journey, this is when the hero gain allies and learn enemies. But what makes a "good" enemy? We all know you can only develop as far as your resistance can push you. With that said, you're only as good as you can push. This is truer in the world of mythology. The villain is the hero, and the hero is the villain; because it is all perspective and we as mythologist need to hold both as well as we hold one.
Today's villain is not evil for the sake of being. Let's say that we define evil as following. Something that is highly cultured and refined to the highest degree, which has the intent to constructively destroy belief systems and cultures; most times for the better but stereotypically presented as for the bad. Jesus was considered evil during his time. Taking this definition, we have to go beyond that funny drawing of a villain wanting to take over the world just because he wants to. The reason why a villain as one who wants to be sustained and nurtured by the entire ecosystem was accepted during earlier myths is because the guardian gods wanted such things and their co-creation, being stronger than creation, wanted the same things and hence a villain who wants the world in the palm of his hands. But the co-creation and the creation now sits at the same table when processing information during this emerging Age of Information. This leveled playing field means that we as mythologist must sculpt a new villain since we as an ecosystem face a new resistance and have new desires for change. Today's villain, however, cannot be evil for evil sake and, as we now know, cannot be driven by nothing. There must be a goal in the mind of the villain which someone, somewhere, can understand and agree with. Today's villains are just as desirable as the heroes if not more so. They tend to be wiser, stronger, and more in charge of themselves than the younger force that oppose them. The villain knows the world and is very good at manipulating it. As a matter of fact the villain has been doing so up until the hero and her team shows up. Being both outspoken and daring, the villain has learned to keep her temper in check. Often the villain's neighbors and coworkers will say that she was a nice person and that the behavior she just performed is out of character. When all along the villain's life is one of character. Just when we, as mythologist, got the process of the first five and fifty pages being the telling of what is about to unfold, we have to rethink our villains and know that they cannot, again, be evil for evil sake. Nor can they just want to be loved, because even the hero wants that and has wanted that since the days of the Mesopotamian stories. We'll figure this villain thing out because story can no longer replicate life; but life must replicate story- if our ecosystem is to survive this upcoming Age of Enlightenment. We are the harbinger of change because we understand that if we always write what we've always written, then society will always desire what it has always desired. Our villains must change . . . bottom line. Thanks for Listening! Sabrina Louise Andielle I'm so excited. Know why? I'll tell you, it's because I know what I am. I wish I could tell everyone everything but I haven't reached everyplace yet. So, I will sit silently and knit my blanket just a little while longer. The rhythm is getting smoother, faster. I'm able to do more in less time. Okay, but what does knitting have to do with the Pointer Sisters?
The song about being so excited speaks of a burning love that they're . . . so excited about. They just wanted to squeeze and wrap their arms around their beloved. I now understand. I know that I mentioned in my last post the amount of work that I was putting into Hour of Change and how the thing was shaping up; but now I want to share with all the other writers striving for publication with a traditional publisher why to hang in there and really put in the time. As we carry on, things do get easier. Now of course I'm talking about writing novels. The more drafts you tell the more you know the story, the more you know the story the better you can tell the story; and a well told story sells. Boy, does it sell. Still, I'm not speaking of the manuscript part of this business. I'm speaking on the "paperwork" the Cover Letter, Synopsis, Bio, and Similar Books (name dropping.) Little history, like many, I was rushing to get my stuff out there, you know hang up my open for business sign; but I got nowhere, fast. That is until I was told that under ripe fruit is no good just like over ripe fruit. I had to sit and think about that. After a lot of soul searching and much rap music (love me some rap and RnB,) I decided to take down my sign and get back to the drawing board. No, things weren't as easy as self-publishing and I'm not knocking it because I was it. No things weren't as glamorous as when I first started working on this now 94,000-word monster which is going on five drafts, two revisions, and countless editing. But all that, the words repeated for the umpteenth time, isn't for the "work" of writing a novel. That was to learn how much I love telling stories and how much I was willing to learn how to write them. That, too, is what I'm so excited about. That is what make me about to loose control. Getting to know this story so well that I can answer questions about the story that I have, like why must I replace Satan with Amidas? What is the difference between a Earth Mow and a Saturn Mow? Why make Young Mow Yen's death so graphic? Things like that. I learned that if I ask myself these type questions, instead of what color hair does Mow have or where is Amidas most likely to eat, I will be able to deliver deeper story without losing my swimming noddle. Not to mention the reader's. I don't think that we as writers give enough credit to editing process. We just want that high of channeling a new tale. But if you want to be a powerful writer you better get the high of playing god down also. That's also why I'm excited. Playing gods enable us to write the 2 page synopsis, the cover letter, and know that if they are rejected then the fruits are not ready. I tell you the first night I was able to condense 160 pages of the story (roughly half) on one page, I understood why I had to learn to write summaries, which I thought were book reviews. If I can't write summaries then either I don't know or the story is not complete. That's all a synopsis is. . . a summary- professional but a summary. The Cover Letter is even easier to communicate. This is what I got, this is why I selected you, and here is my pitch. Thank you very much. Close that puppy. Slap an electronic stamp on it and send it on its way. Bio, just ask, why did I write this story? And the comparison should be easy because there shouldn't be any roommates just neighbors. Like eyebrows your book and others are sisters not twins. There is only one J.K. Rowling but my one line pitch is its Rowling meeting another author (see my previous post for who.) Yeah, I could have selected someone else but when you hear her name you think magic and I got magic. So I use her as a similar book. Tough for me, most of my books are non-fiction so I can't really say I'm sisters with anyone; but I know I'm not twin. Anyway, I digress. I just wanted to say that I'm excited about the fact I know this story, Hour of Change and I'm looking forward to discussing it more than selling it and that is a change in direction, that is a change in the heart. That is the foundation of my excitement and the start of a new joy in my heart. I'm so excited! Thanks for Listening! Sabrina Louise Andielle. When we are in our zone, our cave, or wherever we do our thang, we often feel like the one wearing the Royal Crown while editing just masterfully. If you've been at this long enough you know that it is the editing that makes the story. With the proper training we place our created thought-beings (characters) where they need to be. We leave hints so the reader can know where to go without knowing what will go down. We create environments which reflect moods ours and theirs. We do so many things (sometime all within the first 3-5 pages) and I am not trying to take anything away from what we do; but we forget we're not the only one doing this. Or is it just me? I don't think it's just me because we all ask for help, but we don't want to be tore down. We sometimes just want our ego stroke. We want our art acknowledged by those other than loved ones and the average reader. We want someone who can walk in our shoes tell and us they feel each and every step; meaning they, a fellow writer, can see the genius in our creation the way we see it without it being publishable. SMH I've come to realize that to cut miles off my journey as a writer, I have to admit I'm not the only one good at what I do. I'm not the only "expert" even if I know more about the field than others who are doing what I do. I have learned so much about language, expectations, and design outside of the land of Welnikov and Mow Yen by seeing the genius in other writers. There are others who will teach you without knowing they are teaching you if you show up and be humble. Yeah, we know what we know when it comes to our world that we're creating; but we don't know enough to be experts in the world which we live in- even in the field of writing. Whether you be J.K. Rowling or Steven King, this is the case. All the experts have left the building and only us mostly blissful, active participants are still here. Thanks for Listening! Sabrina Louise Andielle Daily, I'm polishing almost three complete chapters of my almost there 30 chapter manuscript. I'm constantly streamlining and re-visioning, even creating Author's Notes, 30 pages at a time, so I'll be ready for launch on the 31st of this month. This isn't the first time I've tried to capture and clearly communicate what's on my mind in a tome of collective words. This is, however, the first time that I'm patient, honest, open, humble, and reading my story out loud repetitively.
You've gotta love a story to read it over and over. Especially, if it's lacking as a written piece of art. Which got me to thinking; for those who are top-heavy creatives and you're willing and able to set quotas, goals, or call them steps (and fulfill them in a healthy manner) wouldn't the goal of sharing your work get accomplished in a quicker, feed the machine, type of way if you humble yourself? If you re-read your work, not after being away from it for a period of time, but after you've found the bliss of it; wouldn't your passion and love for it become discerned and detached? If you seriously took the advice that touched your soul and daily applied it to your work, wouldn't you be in a position to attract those Beta Readers who knows your work and you? Yeah, you'd become a better author. A prolific author. My feeling, sniff sniff, is authors get a bad wrap. Not every name on a published book is an author. We authors communicate a message while conveying an idea. Storytellers do that- tell stories thing. Authors are the elite craftsmen of this field of word slaying in the crystallized form. They communicate clearly and motivate with a good message wrapped up in one. This means the suck-it-up-Buttercup attitude that many authors have is often misunderstood. I believe that you become an author when you gain the author's ability to release and release and release; to feed the machine, again. Knowing that you are an author and not a storyteller will give you the compassion needed to get up everyday and count (therefore) slay the words. Knowing you are an author and not a storyteller will allow you to be fed by what you produce even if it doesn't see the light of professional bookstore day. Lastly, knowing you are an author and not a storyteller will put a pen in your hand & fingers on the keyboard, an ear for rhythm which comes from trial and error, and the humility to slowly walk down and gather readers who will follow you instead of a few book titles. Yeah, I'm an author, who knows many storytellers. That is what keep the publication world going round. A world I just love. Thanks for Listening! Sabrina Louise Andielle With the coming of the 2019 New Year comes the first hardwood deadline for Sabrina Louise Andielle. I have until 1/31/19 to send out the first wave of required material for consideration of representation by an agent. This means I'm starting to understand why prolific authors have wheelbarrows under their eyes.
I have my pitch: Hour of Change is the story of a System Busting Demigoddess who must relocate from the Third Dimension of humans to the Welnikov dimension of goddesses and gods, there she must heal her understanding of unconditional love and complete a journey to break down one of Welnikov's oldest Systems. I have my paragraph synopsis: Hour of Change tells the story of 48,000-year-old demigoddess, Mow Yen, relocating to the Welnikov dimension before the completion of her task of evolving Mankind of the Third dimension of Earth with an "unforeseeable leap." Once on Welnikov, Mow discovers that her hope of returning to the Third, by completing an assigned task of gathering 15 gods and goddesses to aid her in evolving Mankind, is going to be harder than she planned; as she must bust one of Welnikov's oldest systems which can only be done by her gaining a new understanding of unconditional love- thereby returning her, and a new team, to the Third enabling Mow Yen to accomplish her Soul's Core Directive of Creation. My one page synopsis is too long to post here (in this entry) but it's coming along and I'm adding shine to it. I'm pretty sure about the first 50 pages- I never knew how much telling the initial couple of drafts hold. Talk about a cutting room floor. I'm putting the finishing touches on the entire manuscript, especially the ending- which I just added a god to today which will put more flesh on the bones of this story and create an even better set-up for the next in the Chronicles Series. Most important, I'm getting ready for rejection and inquiry. Working on it 6 to 8 hours daily is giving me confidence about a subject matter which hasn't been tried in such way before. Hearing it play out is giving me courage to share myself with the profession of publishing. So, in all reality I have 2 weeks left to tinker with this thing. I can dig that! Anyway, I just wanted to share the excitement and motivation. Thanks for Listening! Sabrina Louise Andielle. I've been told until the manuscript is completed, there is no way to write the synopsis. When I first heard this piece of advice I was bull-headed. There was no way to know what was going to happen and if you've got things happening without the dreaded three or five pages of review. This, the synopsis, was way to knowing if you had an idea or a story, if you had conflict, but most of all if you had the three cores [beginning, middle, and ending.]
With each project I've done after learning about synopsis, premise, theme, and message, I've made certain to attempt to iron-out these required pre-writing tools for my project. But as I would finish, I felt uncertainty with what I had. This uncertainty would manifest into an nonpunishable manuscript; although these jewels were lessons, they were lessons that were slowly cut from stone. My frustrations couldn't subside because I knew that those formerly mentioned pre-writing tools were part of a writer's stable of tools which enables the writer to go about writing sketches and organizing the mammoth that is a novel of an idea. Finally after no longer pretending that I could complete these tools pre-written manuscript, in Hour of Change I was able to go from synopsis to the writing of the 1st draft with the shifting ease of an automatic transmission. The writing gods and goddesses were kind upon me; but, more than that, I was the one who made the decision that I would go back and forward with the pieces until I had something that resembled an outline and 1st draft manuscript. These two birth the synopsis and polished first 50 pages. Which is the purpose of this blog post. You will need a good, hardy, consistent, outline. Nothing too deep but something that will take you to your destination with little sight-seeing that many novelist include in the completion of the manuscript. Many writers, such as myself, believe that we can't begin without a synopsis but whatever synopsis that is written will need to be constantly updated until the novel is finished, i.e. placing the details that will not/ could not come out until the actual writing. Making it more liken to an outline. An outline that I prefer. The synopsis which is required for submission to an agent or a publisher will not look like the ones written when the story is first coming to you. As they should. This means one of the biggest headaches can now be let go of. Just drop the rope. The secret, I learned, nail the synopsis through re-writing until you can start writing sketches, defining setting, and fleshing out characters. Then put that darn synopsis in the brainstorming file which you should have squeezed all life out this file contents. Start the manuscript writing process. Finish it. Then write the synopsis draft for solicitation. Compare it to what you've actually have in your manuscript then adjust as needed: either on the synopsis end or the manuscript's. Repeat this process until what you intended to say when you first wrote the synopsis is what you're saying in the manuscript, but more importantly in the synopsis. First advertisement, this highly glorified book review/report could actually determine the rate of speed that your project get published or sat in a drawer until skill match dream. Thanks for Listening Sabrina Louise Andielle |
AuthorOne of those writer folk telling stories, reviewing the writer's adventure, and presenting the hero's journey. All wrapped in Spirit, the Kingdom of God, the Sanatana Dharma, the Tao, the Way, or the Absolute. Archives
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