The Storyteller's Journey: Where To Next?

‘I always get to where I’m going, by walking away from where I’ve been.’ 

- Winnie the Pooh

That’s a line from upcoming film ‘Christopher Robin’. Pooh says that when Robin returns to the Wood and asks which way they should take to find Pooh’s friends (Tigger, Eeyore, Piglet).

For those of you who haven’t heard these names before, they are characters created by british writer A.A. Milne.

You could take that sentence said by Pooh and keep it in the context of actual travel, but that would be a waste of this quote. And I’m pretty sure the person who wrote it meant for it to be used for more experiences in life. So let’s talk about it in the context of storytelling and creative expression.

The reason we here at Launchora produce these weekly Guides is to be your spiritual travel partner in your storytelling journey. And one of the key moments that happens on any journey is the point where you go - Where to next?

That question could come to you…

a) When you’re between stories and you’ve just published a story recently, and are now trying to figure out what to write about next.

b) When you’re in the middle of a story and you’ve reached a point where the fingers have stopped typing everything you had in you, and now you don’t know where to go next because the possibilities are endless.

c) When you’re just going about your day and your life trying to be a storyteller, but just don’t have a story to tell at the moment.

d) When you’re not even trying to tell a story, but feel lost anyway.

Pooh's advice seems to fit quite well in all four cases, doesn't it?

Now I could say something general like 'start typing' or 'keep at it', but you already know that stuff. So let's get down to the nitty gritty... 

...by thinking like Winnie the Pooh.

Let's break down why Pooh's advice already have some brilliant nuggets of practical wisdom in it.

Here's the quote again so you don't have to scroll up:

‘I always get to where I’m going, by walking away from where I’ve been.’ 

Let's focus on the word 'always' first. That word signifies many things: confidence, experience, faith, trust-in-self, optimism. Pooh is telling us that he is certain that every time he has reached a new destination, it was by walking away from where he was before. That's a pretty bold statement, given that it is also impossible to challenge. But that's okay, because a storyteller needs to be optimistic that no matter where they're going, it's going to lead them to their destination.

I'm not always a good writer, but I am always writing.

Pooh's point is - time is always moving in the same direction as me - forward. And no matter where I set my destination, real destination is the journey.

Now, let's come to 'Where I'm going'. Who decides where you're going?

The first answer is... you. Obviously.

But there is a second answer to that question. And in order to  have it, we have to twist the question and turn the 'who' into 'what'.

What decides where you're going? Your curiosity.

Curiosity is the sole culprit for why humankind explored the entire planet, and will not stop at just this solar system. 

But human exploration isn't just about exploring the physical space we're surrounded by. It's also about exploring another uncharted territory: The Human Mind.

A storyteller's curiosity is his/her greatest strength. You don't know where you're going? Ask yourself this: what do you want to know next?

Your mind is hungry for new information. Once you acquire it, you'll need to process it and provide it some context. That context will give a direction to your story. 

Finally, let's read into the second half of Pooh's statement: walking away from where I’ve been.

Our past is a collection of moments and days. We can't walk back into our past, nor can we stay in it. Our past is like a ship leaving port, one we can't get aboard. But it is our decision to stay on that port - and watch the ship sail away into the distance, getting smaller and smaller, until it disappears forever - OR, walk away from the port, and keep traveling until we hit the next one.

The good news is that even though the actual ship full of your past is gone, you still have a pretty strong wi-fi connection that connects you to all the occupants of the ship: your memories. You can then pick and choose which one's to keep, and which one's to forget.

No matter what you choose to do with the past, it will always be behind you, so technically, you'll always be walking away from it. 

Perhaps what Pooh is really trying to tell us is that if you feel lost and don't know where to go next, just look at how far along you've come, and how you managed to find your way till here. If you were able to do this before, you can surely do it again today.

Sometimes our expectations for what should come next differ from where we end up. And if the distance from where we are now and where that destination is, seems too far, we can end up feeling disappointed and lost. So if we can understand why we set certain expectations a certain way, we'll feel less lost.

Because every person who walked towards something, did it the same way you did. By taking it one step at a time. 

And every story ever written went through the same process, didn't it? 

By putting one word after another.

So whether you're stuck between stories, or within one, or just feeling uninspired or lost, just look at the path you've already taken, and you'll see that the storyteller within you has never really been lost. Just walking, until you get to where you're going.

I'll leave you with another one of Pooh's lines -

People say nothing is impossible... but I do nothing every day.

Your story is waiting for you to reach it. Take your time, you'll get there. 

The button is where it always will be!