Tag: Non-Fiction Writing

It’s almost May 2012, and for the first time in almost a year I can hear my muses singing (and screaming) at me to WRITE.

I’ve heard their whispers off and on in the past year. A blog here, a review there. An epic conversation on a community board, or a workshop discussion at festival. But for the most part, the muses have been silent. Waiting.

The noise of inspiration after so much time without it has me unfocused, unsure of where to go. Do I write fiction, picking a storyline from the anthology in my head and putting it to paper? Or do I write non-fiction, taking the spiritual and social concepts I have and turning them into something for others to learn from?

Example stories in fiction include:

– a story following the life of a therian girl. While most mundane people aren’t aware of Otherkin and the like, I would tell the story in a way that describes and shows how I view my own therianthropy. It’s the moments of walking through the trees on the pads of my feet, senses open and aware of the sounds around me… of times when you can almost feel your tail twitch with annoyance or in preparation for a “hunt”.

– a retelling of stories and myths I love. Imagine retelling all of your favorite folklore, but with a twist. Or telling non-traditional stories of why the sun rises each morning, or why humans evolved. This would be more like a collection of children’s stories, though I’ve also played with writing a storyteller’s book to be told to any age group.

– a rewriting of my old stories. I have a few gems I loved, but I didn’t write well. When I read them, I can see in my head what I wanted to show to the reader… but I lacked the skill at the time. For example, there’s the story of the girl on fire who saves everyone at the cost of herself… the story of the girl who struggles with the reality that nothing is black and white in a conflict between two powers. (Notice: I’m a girl, so most of my main characters have been girls. Duh.)

Examples of non-fiction ideas include:

– a book on the lost arts. Kids are barely learning to write their names in cursive, and many lack even basic penmanship as computers are the norm from an early age. Letter writing, etiquette and manners (like how to properly answer/end a phone call), basic cooking and household skills. Even I lack many of the skills I think we should reinforce, and studying them while writing would be fun.

– a book on paganism on the go. I grew up an Armybrat, so an example would be explaining ways to cope with moving to different climates and different opportunities (living by a beach, living in a desert). There’s also the use of mobile altars and impromptu magick, including the core understanding that tools are just props for the mind.

– a book on paganism as I see it. This is harder, because I’m a young and “uninitiated” pagan. It would have to do with how I see the current Wiccan movement, on blurred lines and walking one’s own path. I’d probably also speak about “Stranger in a Strange Land”, in how my own beliefs match those of the book.

The problem here is focus. I’d like to take the time to write something productive, but my muses are more than happy to push out random ramblings left and right with no purpose. My goal is to publish via Amazon’s Kindle market, maybe start making a little money from my writing while sharing it with others.

I’ve considered writing on one fiction AND one non-fiction topic, giving my creative side a chance to be serious as well as purely creative. Any opinions on where I should focus?