Solving The Puzzle Of 'You' With Storytelling

I write to feel… the four words written in my bio here on Launchora.

That line was one of the reasons why Launchers messaged me. They usually ask why I chose it or what it truly meant. One Launcher in particular, messaged me and asked why I would “write to feel”; And how does ‘writing to feel’ differ from ‘I feel so I write’. My reply went something like this: ‘I feel so I write’ means that writing is a void or somewhere you can vent out your emotions. But for me, ‘I write to feel’ means that I feel my emotions better when I write – that writing lets me gain clarity and meaning into my deepest thoughts.

When writing, I ponder upon my thoughts and ideas in different perspectives before creating this blurry yet solid line in my head. Then I think about it over and over and over again until things somehow make sense. After that, one thing leads to another and one thought links to the other, which eventually ends up as this interlinked spider web of constructed lines that is a much clearer compared to my previous blurry concept. This process is what makes me enjoy writing – it is an exciting journey of transforming a thought into verses and stanzas, lines and paragraphs.

When a thought suddenly pops up, I can't help but write it down and save it for later – after which I let my mind wander once again. It’s like being in this adventure to find lost treasures hidden in stories. It’s scary because it’s challenging, but that’s what makes it fun and exciting.

Speaking of adventures…

I would always have this instant adventure whenever I would ride a jeepney (a public transportation vehicle where I live). I would constantly peer out the open window to check if I've missed my stop. In the whole duration of my everyday travel, I would see new sights and learn new things. It’s like I’m just absorbing information, especially when I would end up eavesdropping on my fellow passengers, overhearing their conversations. I would also witness a lot of things and events ranging from crazy funny to crazy dangerous. Sometimes, whenever a stranger stands out in the crowd, I'd wonder about what they could've gone through and suddenly experience ‘sonder’.

So, with this… I write about them. I write about the possibilities of things and events and circumstances and decisions – and then, I relate it to what I feel or what I've experienced in the past.

The day I wrote my poem ‘Stillness and Rage’ (featured in Listen and The Storyteller here in LSP), things were in ‘perfect’ chaos.

Earlier that day, I walked into my classroom after I buying some snacks, since I would be needing strength to last me throughout the big event that day. I noticed that my classmates were quiet... too quiet. I later found out that we were in the midst of a crisis, wherein sudden changes were made in this big event in school. This meant that we had to come up with a new plan as soon as possible. We took every risk just to make our carefully planned activities successful, despite all the abrupt adjustments.

Class officers were too shocked, nothing came out their mouths. People were so enraged and frustrated to a point that they spoke in a slow, soft and monotone voice. And then boom, the idea of ‘stillness and rage’ popped into my head and I was like… lemme write bout diz…

But rest assured, we had a fun day despite everything that happened.

So yea. Back to ‘Stillness and Rage’.

As I think more about the tandem of those two words, I think about other situations. Take for example how serious fights could let you feel the heavy atmosphere around you. In this event, whenever things stay still and everything is quiet, the more amplified is the feeling of chaos inside. THIS is an image that lets you see the meeting point of stillness and rage. These are the things that I think about, that soon branch into different ideas that make up my poem.

As a Launcher –and a Storyteller, my favorite thing to experience – write or read – is poetry. I also love these legends, short stories, sci-fi and adventure stories still stuck inside my head. Perhaps, someday I’d find those lost stories hiding somewhere inside a couple of interesting neurons in my 2.5 pound lazy brain. Nonetheless, I just love poetry because it could let me venture into an unknown world not knowing I was just exploring my own. And in most of my published works, I write about my daily experiences and realizations, and about every single imaginative thought lurking inside my head. I write about the possible journeys others may have gone through; and most importantly, I write about my journey in life so far.

When writing poetry, you could say that the core thoughts and words just come out naturally. However, the process of writing it, is like reassembling a big jigsaw puzzle – consider this puzzle is a metaphor for your mind. Yes, thoughts come up naturally, but making a solid picture of your ideas is a painstaking journey. You see, all the thoughts are the pieces, all you need to do is try to connect them. Easy right? I can feeling you nodding no. You’re right. It’s not easy. This jigsaw puzzle has over a hundred pieces to assemble... It's a little bit tricky, but with a pinch of creativity, everything becomes limitless. And it helps to remind yourself that only you can make this poem work so no hard feelings if you don’t accomplish this mission in the first try. You’re the teacher, and the student. Be hard on yourself, but also be patient.

Creativity and imagination are the key to unlocking these possibilities, and this isn’t only limited in writing. Creativity is evidently applied in everything adults do, right? Or so I’m told.

My perspective is that everyone – yes, including you – possesses this creative spark can unlock possibilities, and with this, new thoughts, concepts and great innovations are born. It’s like creativity is a giant universal factory but it never makes the same thing twice. What it gives you, it will not give to another. One creative person will touch, empower, and influence others. From there, you’ll create an endless domino effect. I like to think that a creative person is meant to unlock closed doors by passing through the open windows.

Here’s something you could try out – start with an image or thought. When you grasp that idea, construct one line about your main point or thought. After that, let your imagination kick in. Let that thought branch out. Think of how you could connect it to yourself or your emotions; or how you could link it with other things, and then maybe think about it in different perspectives. Write it all.  Write until words freely flow from you. Don’t force yourself, because when you write, you need to fill each word with true emotion. You can’t lie. It’s not fun, and you’ll catch yourself lying pretty quickly and that’s embarassing. Being truthful will add beauty and worth to your piece, and your reader will appreciate it.

And, this goes without saying but… learn to take it one step at a time.

Also, be sure to save your works, and organize your notes so that you won't lose them. For a thought can simply fly away.

To be honest, I don’t consider myself to be an extraordinary writer, but rather someone who is just like any other newbie. You see, I am not that good with grammar, and my vocabulary is very limited. But that doesn't stop me. I write because I believe that I can. It’s pretty much a need, a requirement. But I also practice a lot, because it helps me improve my skills. I’m always learning, and when I learn something new, I try to apply it to my writing. I mean, we’ve all learned how to write in at least one language since an early age, so shouldn’t we at least give creative writing a shot? We have the tools, we have the ingredients, and the recipe… can be improvised.

I believe everyone has potential, all it needs is to be unlocked – and in most cases, the key has been inside you all along! But encouragement from others doesn’t hurt either.

So to those writers out there, don't think of how inexperienced you are, think about what you could improve. As long as you’re open to the idea of growth, you’ll always be on the right track with this creativity train.

You can shape yourself, and find yourself in every stroke of your pen and every letter you input in that document. All it takes is the courage to do so. So, don’t give up despite all the rejections, confusions and all the insults that have burrowed their way inside you. Success is not an easy road, and the only way to go to your destination is to walk towards it. Walk… crawl if you must. A slow pace doesn’t mean you’re not progressing.

In my sixteen years of existence, I have come to realize that crawling was not meant to decrease the speed of my pace, but to lead me to the ‘safe zone’ without getting hit… hit by deception, bad choices, and every other thing that would slow me down or put a halt to my progress. But these countless misfortunes turned out to be a blessing in disguise, which taught me valuable lessons or led to my little achievements.

Yes, I got shot down, several times. Still do. Sometimes by others, sometimes by a voice inside me. But now, I know that I could avoid another potential shot by crawling towards the finish line, and stand up victoriously once again.

Through writing, I conquered battles and overpowered grudges and falseness. I learned to see things in a wider perspective. Writing clears up the fog in front of me; I learned to see and evaluate myself, so I often end up having an “Abigail 2.0” facing the mirror the next day. And I like her. Every time.

Yes, there may be obstacles along the way that push you back. But do not be discouraged. Take it as a challenge that pushes you forward. If you seem to get a bit lost in writing, pause for a while. Remember, it's a journey. You might have missed a turn, or looked at the wrong direction. You can still retrace your thoughts, and you can always fix your lines. What's important is that, you keep walking. You keep writing.

Sometimes, your destination will let itself be known only when you finally stumble upon it. You could have ended up in different destinations, so yeah. Save those fifteen drafts and keep them for later. Those drafts are all maps to different destinations... even to some places you may not be ready to visit yet. But it is only once you start on this journey that you find “lost treasures”, the lost "you" or the new "you". You could find the answers to the questions your heart is asking — or you could break your heart along the way. Perhaps, you need to break it for it to bleed out the poison, or for it to be filled with something new inside, before you mend it back again.

Should you find yourself in ruins, I am here telling you to dream and turn those piles of rubble into art. And yes, it is true that you CAN make something better out of those broken pieces. It will be better compared to the previous structure it once was.

You and I, my dear, are forms of art, and no two pieces of art are ever alike. So I hope you’ll either give writing a shot or keep at it… and then maybe you’ll see that things aren’t always falling apart… maybe they’re just falling into place.

So start writing now and let your puzzle pieces fall wherever they may.