The Story of Us

Shane Brigg

Let me plunge us all right into this adventure together …

I have been having some serious doubts about my writing for a while.

I had been thinking about the usual pattern of telling stories and I, as a writer, was experiencing a challenging impasse of sorts.

In the midst of considering some influential and life-challenging inquiries into leadership along with (formative) perspectives on basic biblical study (hermeneutics) I came to some powerful questions. These in turn led me to some big challenges to my metanarratives.

The leadership challenge for me is huge, but in essence it has challenged me to highlight a humbling servantship that at its core has me developing ‘un-leading’ principles and practice.

The hermeneutical challenge is in synergy with this servantship/leadership paradox.  

It has lead me to ask questions like this:

Were we meant to read the stories of the Bible more authentically? (aka in the context of the original writers, from God’s perspective? To the context of the original recipients?) (Duvall and Hays (2020)). What if we actually did read the stories of the bible authentically/differently? Would we understand it differently and would we live our lives differently? Would we minister differently?

Along with these questions, perhaps the most confronting thought for me as a writer was the idea that some of my preconceived notions of story telling started to be challenged (maybe even unravel a bit (a lot) ).

Take the hero’s journey for example ...

The hero archetype is generally defined as an individual protagonist who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. A hero protagonist's traits help readers to understand them, connect with them, or follow their actions and understand why they do what they do.

I have been asking myself - like Papa (2016) - if the Hero’s Journey is “the chief organizing story” of human civilization and stories are the most powerful communication technology, to what extent might the Hero’s Journey be responsible for where we are at today?

Where I am at today? (“Gulp”)

How might the conceptualization of the Hero’s Journey be contributing to what we are experiencing on all scales of society, development, world issues, good things, bad things, personal vexes and maybe even sin?

What could happen if we told our hero stories differently?

What would happen if we did tell our hero stories differently?

What if the story of “me” was informed differently?

Wow. All of this is very deep and complex and way beyond the possibility of a brief encouraging read (Blog).

So I have reduced my thoughts here to a blog-length truncated thesis that starts with a “What if” question:

What if we told hero stories where the hero was a group rather than an individual?

The relationship between individuals and society has been the concern of human inquiry and praxis for thousands of years. It is addressed by sociologists, psychologists, philosophers and theologians. The bible has something to say about it too.

Many modern thinkers have taken some of their lead from Mead (1934) who theorised that the individual and society were inter-related . The “development of the individual’s self, and of his self- consciousness within the field of his experience” is pre-eminently social. Mind, according to Mead, arises within the social process of communication and cannot be understood apart from that process. this presupposes a social context within which two or more individuals are in interaction with one another (we grow and develop together, not separately).

Bellah et al (1985) and Hewitt (1989) discuss the tensions of community concerns and pursuit of individualistic interests. The tensions of individualism and collective is perhaps one of the challenges in our current social grappling. Several authors (eg. Lois 1999, Hall 2016)  have highlighted some problematic notions that the individualistic Hero narrative seems to encourage including :

 a)     A distinction between the hero and everyone else. It puts us – everyone else – in the position of waiting for the hero to come along and fix things. Very disempowering.

b)    A form of dualistic or elitist “me vs them” perspective .  Rather than transcend differences and encouraging cooperation, it creates and encourages separation.

c)    In the West the hero in the journey is generally a high status individual. Hence we often have heroes like King Arthur, Bruce Wayne, etc… This leaves many people out.

This is not to say that all that has been promoted as the Hero’s Journey is “bad” and/or has not served humanity. Its perspective (it could be argued) has helped in breakthroughs in the development of technologies and extended lifespans. But at the same time, humanity is deeply divided and we are destroying systems that sustain life. Our highly hierarchical, individualistic, tendencies are resisting the shift in how we are called to help to bring healing. The Individualistic Hero’s Journey is perhaps not the narrative we need right now.

Jennifer Lois (1999) attempts to answer this quandary in her paper “Socialization to Heroism: Individualism and Collectivism in a Voluntary Search and Rescue Group”. In it she examines the tension between self-interested individualism and norms of self-sacrifice in a volunteer search and rescue group . She draws on 3 1/2 years of ethnographic fieldwork to highlight how individuals were socialized into a heroic collectivist community with a commitment to make a positive, often sacrificial difference together.

The Group Hero is an emerging archetype of the Hero story that differs from lone hero stories. According to Claudia Hall (2016) of the California Institute of Integral Studies there are five specific ways:

1) Group Heroism is about participation in the larger cause,

2) Group Heroism is team based,

3) Each team member is different and everyone’s contributions are important,

4) The cause takes precedence over personality conflicts, and

5) Leadership (influence) is dynamic and team based.

She explores each of these themes using mass media examples of movies, comic books, and games, and compares how the Group Hero tenets differ from the presentation of heroism in more traditional lone hero stories. In group hero stories, success is dependent on the performance of a team. Thus, Tolkien’s Fellowship of The Ring, C.S. Lewis’ Pevensie Children in Narnia, and movie examples such as Guardians of Galaxy and The LEGO Movie can be seen as group hero stories because the main characters could not succeed without their team.

It is worth referencing that Claudia Hall applied her Group Hero archetype template to designing writing pieces that help to resolve the problem of school bullying.

This excites me considering the paradoxical challenges I offered in my stumbling introduction. It excites me because the Group Hero metanarrative seems more in-line with the biblical narrative I encounter as I re-read scripture through a collectivist contextual lens.  It was like the heroes of the Old Testament, the Gospels, and the 28 Chapters of Acts now had a group hero sensibility (It is about participation in the larger cause, the cause takes precedence over personality conflicts, and Influence is dynamic, egalitarian and team based). In turn this has meant that the story of the people that we call our faith gathering (church family) are intertwined not just in a story of potential individual heroism but of an ongoing ‘Chapter 29 of the Book of Acts’ collective heroic journey. It is not just a story of individual heroes or of “their story” or of “my story”, it is a “story of us”.  

The “story of us” is an extraordinary perspective and meta-narrative about the people, places and events that have shaped our history and can frame our future. Because it is collective, it is more community-oriented than individualistic.

What does it mean to be community? The English-language word "community" derives from the Old French comuneté,  which comes from the Latin communitas : "public spirit" (from Latin communis, "common"). Communities may have intent, belief, resources, preferences, needs, and risks in common, affecting the identity of the participants and their degree of cohesiveness. Community is an important aspect for our wellbeing. It helps us to be able to receive what we need and give what we have. Building relationships with people and having a place to feel at home. 

As a school chaplain/youth worker/pastor of over 35 years I know the power of helping to empower healthy communities. 

 

To be in community means to have neighbours and people in your corner.

Who is in your corner?

There are times when things can feel tough, but there are people around you who are wanting to give. This kind of hero story telling says “Please don’t be afraid to reach out and connect with others no matter what your differences/challenges: we can face this together”.  

Having this kind of community is something very special! Especially in the occurrences of our contemporary world. It is special and important to have ways for people to connect and engage in as a broader community. Perhaps this is why I am impassioned by this concept of telling stories through Group Hero narratology.

Building Community is like writing a “Story of Us” that expresses the values and shared experience of the ‘us’ in our contemporary settings (neighbourhoods /towns /cities /states /nations). This means our ‘us’ can and will change over time, but many things will stay the same over many years. Mutual humility, servantship, teachability and adaptability are part of that story of us. Embracing and living these tenets helps to create a sense of unity, togetherness, and focus on our shared values.

What could happen if we told our hero stories differently?

The story of us helps to transform our worlds.

Think about the story of us for a minute by focusing on choice points……

“Choice points” are moments when you faced a challenge, made a choice, experienced an outcome, and learned a lesson together with others.

Ask yourself:

When did I feel I had to act to help others and what did I do with others to help?

Once you identify a specific, relevant choice point, dig deeper and ask yourself:

What was the outcome of this choice and how did it feel?

What did it teach me?

Some of us may think that our personal stories don’t matter or that others won’t care to hear them. But as we do community or social change work together then we have a responsibility to give a public account of ourselves – where we come from, why we do what we do, and where we think we’re going.

In your story of us is your community motivated to action to make a positive difference in other’s lives. It is also about the choices and challenges your community has faced. That said, a compelling story of us doesn’t just highlight challenges, it emphasises stories of combined progress to help give people hope. As Marshall Ganz (2009) wrote, “Hope is one of the most precious gifts we can give each other and the people we work with to make change.”

Hope wrought together becomes part of the narrative of our group heroism. 

Anyway, with all of this said

- and perhaps having opened up a semantic pandora’s box –

I can’t shake this call to take this journey, and so I have begun ……

a)    a re-write of several of my in-progress pieces,

b)    a synopsis crafting of an entire new story with a collective (Group) Hero (a blended family grappling with their own personal inherited ghosts to face off together and ultimately be resolved to make a positive (heroic) difference)

c)     my own personally deep soul searching

I would love to join with you in this great adventure. 

Inspiring Hope. Empowering Change.

 References

Bellah, R. (et al), 1985 Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life. University of California Press

Hewitt, J. (1989). Dilemmas of the American Self . Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.

Duvall and Hays (2020) Grasping God’s Word: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible (4th Edition) Zondervan Academic

Ganz, M. (2009) “Why Stories Matter” in  Sojourners Magazine, March 2009 (Vol. 38, No. 3, pp. 16)

Hall, C.  (2006) “The Group Hero: An Archetype Whose Time Has Come” In Exploring the Collective Unconscious in the Age of Digital Media (pp.214-231) 

Lois, J. (1999) “Socialization to Heroism: Individualism and Collectivism in a Voluntary Search and Rescue Group. “ In Social Psychology Quarterly. Vol. 62, No. 2, Special Issue: Qualitative Contributions to Social Psychology (Jun., 1999), pp. 117-135 (19 pages).American Sociological Association

Mead, G. (1934) Mind, Self, and Society: From the Standpoint of a Social Behaviorist, edited, with an Introduction, by Charles W. Morris, Chicago: University of Chicago Press

Papa, M. (2016) Awakening to a Path Beyond the Hero’s Journey

Walker LJ, Frimer JA, Dunlop WL. (2010) “Varieties of moral personality: beyond the banality of heroism”. Journal of Personality 78:3, June 2010 pp: 907‐942.

Antics of Engagement

Being an author brings frequent opportunity to engage with readers and the community. Engagement can take many forms, from e-forums, school and library visits, signings, to writer/reader specific events and festivals. As a YA author, I’ve also learned never to assume who will be in each audience.

Writing a book is a very different activity to presenting a practical writing workshop or delivering an encouraging theme related talk. Given the YA tag, for general author visits I often see a high proportion of children attending, along with older young people and their parents, which is really cool. There’s also an equal likelihood that a range of adults up to (or beyond!) eighty may be present. This also is fantastic, as I have a lot of adult readers too, but it presents me with the challenge of engaging a vast range of reading levels, attention spans, and interests.

So how does one prepare for a child friendly event that will appeal to adults, while holding the attention of young people? I wish I could give you a simple answer. My approach has been very much trial and error. Thankfully I’ve had mostly positive experiences (mostly …), but I’ve found something a teacher friend told me once has been sound advice.

Prepare well, take charge, and don’t be afraid to look silly.

I took this to mean I should target my sessions at the more distractible ages, whilst including elements that can go a little deeper, and ensure I have fun—because if I’m having fun, so will they. This rang true with what I’d learned from many years in tertiary education, with frequent community and school engagement. Over time, this is pretty well how my sessions have developed.

The beauty of having young people at an event is no one thinks it’s unusual if you do a few crazy things. We’ve had scavenger hunts, dressing up with main protagonist look-alike masks, relay-type team competitions etc. (You should come to my book launches!) My most recent author visit was a game show style event with learning on select writing topics, interspersed with related challenges and giveaways. An interactive audience always helps.

Even if people look at me like I’m an alien at first (hey, you can’t please everyone), they generally get used to me by the end. Sometimes they even join in. Yay!

Probably the most important thing I’ve learned from all these shenanigans is to own the session. As my friend advised – prepare, prepare, prepare. But also, have the conversations you need with associated teachers or event organisers in advance regarding crowd management, available resources, timing etc. The other important thing I’ve learned is to have a backup plan. (I’m still developing this skill.) If something’s not working, have an established escape hatch that will lead to a potentially more engaging option.

There’s much more I could share, but if you’re a writer and you’ve not yet launched yourself on some unsuspecting audience (I do mean in a positive way …), be encouraged to put yourself out there—and have fun. It’s a great experience and one that can lead to really positive interactions, for yourself and the community.

Adele Jones is an award winning Queensland author. She writes young adult and historical novels, poems, inspirational non-fiction and fictional short works, along with juggling family responsibilities and a ‘real job’ in the field of science. Her first YA novel Integrate was awarded the 2013 CALEB Prize for unpublished manuscript. Her writing explores issues of social justice, humanity, faith, natural beauty and meaning in life’s journey, and as a speaker she seeks present a practical and encouraging message by drawing on these themes. For more visit www.adelejonesauthor.com or contact@adelejonesauthor.com 

The Power of Helping Others

In most industries, we refer to those who are doing the same kind of work that we are as our competitors. The aim is to get more attention on your own work and less attention on theirs. It appears to be the total opposite when it comes to creative arts, such as writing. It is our best interest to help our “competitors”.

A Success Story

My video had just finished uploading. I clicked the buttons to share it on several social media sites and leaned back in my chair. I had just released the latest episode of my youTube series - reviewing a book called Synchronic - 13 Tales of Time Travel. I'd lost a little momentum recently due to sickness but was now back on track.

When I checked the next morning I was surprised to see I gained over 40 views while I slept. This was about the same amount that my previous episode had gained in almost two months. I also had a record number of "likes". We're not talking big numbers here, but it was a significant difference.

Mutual Benefit and Community

Why did this particular video fare better than average? Was it particularly well-produced? Had I latched onto a topic that everyone was already talking about? No. So what was it? The book I was reviewing was an indie title, with 13 contributing authors. One of those authors, who I happened to be connected with on Twitter shared it for me. Then another of the authors shared it with all his fans on Facebook and Twitter, tagging all the other authors involved in the project.

I had helped them by giving a positive review for their book, but they had helped me by sharing my video with a bunch of book lovers who would otherwise never have seen it. We helped each other. This kind of mutually beneficial assistance is common in the indie fiction world. It works nicely. Joanna Penn of The Creative Penn calls it Social Karma. We Christians often don't like to use the 'K' word, but all she really means here is that when we help our fellow content creators, we find ourselves getting helped as well. There is a community that builds up. When we help each other, we all win.

I have found that the same helpful culture that exists in the indie fiction world also exists in the Australian Christian fiction industry. There is a wonderful community that is so welcoming of both the experienced author and the growing wannabe. I have been surprised by the help, support and encouragement I have received along my journey.

All of this reminds me of Proverbs 11:25 "A generous person will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."

What do you think?

Do you have any success stories to share? Have you ever experienced a situation where you felt like you were in competition with another author or artist?

Photo credit: prixel creative

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Adam Collings is a writer of speculative fiction and video blogger. He is actively working toward becoming a published author. He lives in Tasmania, Australia. Adam discusses books and movies on his youTube series Stories. You can find Adam on-line at collingszone.wordpress.com or his Google+ Profile

Going or Staying?

Jesus commands us to go,

It should be the exception if we stay.

It's no wonder we're moving so slow,

When God's children refuse to obey,

Feeling so called to stay.

 

I was reminded of this song by Keith Green last weekend and it's got me thinking all week. Jesus, after completing his mission on the cross and just before ascending to heaven, left us with some instructions. "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." [Mark 16:15 NIV]

 

Somehow, I think as writers, and certainly the more introverted types of us, we can use our written words as our 'going.' We send our words out into the world, bathed in prayer, and believe they will make an impact on people. And sure, all of that is valid.

 

But I am thinking that it could become an excuse not to go out and mix with people face to face, at all. We can hide behind our computers and say 'I'm doing my bit,' and maybe we are, but is it enough?

 

 

 

God is a God of relationship. He calls us to love our neighbour, to look after the needy, and to share His love. Can we, realistically, do that from our computer screens? Communiction is after all, a lot more than words. But for a shy introvert, relating to others can take a massive effort, it goes against what we naturally lean toward.

 

I'm not here to tell you that you should be all travelling to the mission fields, or that you're not good enough.  What I am offering is a gentle challenge, to myself as well, to search ourselves and get out there in the community and build relationships with people who don't know the Lord, not just rely on our printed words.

 

Wishing you a blessed Easter. XXOO

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Amanda Deed resides in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne where she fills her time with work, raising a family, church activities and writing historical romance novels. Her new novel, Henry's Run, is due for release on the 1st of April, 2013. For more information, see:
http://www.amandadeed.com.au/
http://amanderings.wordpress.com/

Off to the Getaway

Alright, so call me obsessed! All I can think about this week is The Word Writers Getaway which starts on Friday. I'm so excited, I've had butterflies in my tummy since Monday. There are so many reasons why I'm looking forward to this trip:

1. I get to fly. I love to travel and flying is right up there. No, seriously, I have been known to embarrass other passengers by whooping in the midst of turbulence.
2. I get to thaw out. Melbourne has been far too cold for far too long this winter just gone. (Queensland had better put on some exceptional weather for me.)
3. I get to escape wifely and motherly duties for a few days. Don't get me wrong, I love my family to bits and will miss them, but it will be nice to have a break from the domestic routine.
4. I get to learn stuff. I'm looking forward to all the different workshops - POV, story structure, marketing, book trailers, the list goes on. I know I will bring home a head full of new ideas.
5. I get to work on my manuscript. Love the editing room.
6. I get to discover new books. There will be a number of book launches, and a huge range to buy from as well.
7. Oh, and I get to launch my new novel, Black Forest Redemption, and together with Meredith Resce, Paula Vince and Rose Dee, launch The Greenfield Legacy.
8. I get to attend the CALEB Prize awards dinner. What a great night that will be!
9. Best of all, I get to hang with plenty of like-minded passionate-about-books people. I'm looking forward to late night chats, brainstorming with other writers, general fellowship. This is the stuff Anusha was talking about in her blog the other day - belonging and community. Connecting with other writers is the part I look forward to most of all.

So, for those of you who are NOT attending this year, I have just given you a bunch of reasons why you should go to the next one. And for those of you who ARE attending, I'm looking forward to meeting you.

What do you appreciate most about writers conferences and the like?

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Amanda Deed resides in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne where she fills her time with work, raising a family, church activities and writing historical romance novels. Her new novel, Black Forest Redemption, was released on the 1st of October this year. For more information, see:
http://www.amandadeed.com.au/
http://amanderings.wordpress.com/