Tag: story

“The Power of Story”

Scott J Mulvaney Leave a comment
T hese posts are about the creative process and the emotional, spiritual and intellectual journey that we undertake when we choose to face the empty page or screen, and commit to the telling. All creatives are explorers in this great human wilderness, and I was hip deep in that big muddy searching for a key to unlock the deeper mysteries, when these words popped into my head: ‘Story is Action – Action is Story.’ I know a key when I see it, so let’s clear our minds and start opening up locks.

S tory is who we are, and action is what we do, they are the ‘Yin and Yang’ of human existence. Story is the creative principle = the cosmic egg; and action is the active principle = the fertile motion, that gives birth to you, me, and even more stories. This magnificent ouroborical helix contains the DNA of thought and experience, and shines with the uniquely personal themes that reflect our beliefs, history, and purpose.

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“ShadowPlay”

Scott J Mulvaney Leave a comment
I thought ‘WorldPlay’ would complete the ‘Mystery Train’ of thought that’s been powering the last two posts, but this week there’s a tunnel ahead, and within it’s sheltering darkness there are deeply personal truths waiting for us to discover. What do these truths say about us? And what secrets do they hold? This is where ‘ShadowPlay’ comes in, to teach us the Art of Playing in Shadow.

D esire is a series of psychic signs that burn with unrequited longing, and guide us toward the people, places, or ideas that reveal the shadow side of our identity. It’s also a warning: ‘Danger: Minefield;’ and an invitation: ‘Enter Here.’ When we choose to walk this path, we trip the emotional and psychological mines that contain the explosive truths about ourselves; and if we feel our way through them, they flense our illusions, and give us the wisdom & courage to reclaim our power.

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“WorldPlay”

Scott J Mulvaney Leave a comment
L ast week’s post started with a cup of dark roast, and a steaming “Mystery Train”; and this week I’m jumping back in to unpack the concept of ‘Play’. If you’ve read my ‘Be Magnificently Simple‘ post, you know I see emotion as the body’s way of signaling us that there’s ‘digging to be done & treasure to be found,’ so I’m honoring that urge by re-entering the great big creative Sandbox for some well deserved ‘WorldPlay: The Art of Playing Yourself,’ a playful spinoff of last week’s “Mystery Train.”

Y ou’ve probably guessed by now that I love playing in all kinds of Sandboxes, and basking in the imaginative freedom they offer. I even like the feel of the grains of memory & experience stuck between my toes, because they remind me that every human canvas needs a little grit to give it depth and resilience. But the best thing about Sandboxes is that they’re everywhere you look, and if you’re playing yourself’ like a Pro, you’re creating Sandboxes at home, work, and everywhere you go: That’s the essence of WorldPlay.

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“Mystery Train”

Scott J Mulvaney Leave a comment
T his morning I woke up groggy from my staccato dream life, and French pressed a heady cup o’ Alma de Tierra as the orange sun rose over the valley. I wondered when the next post would pop into my head, and as I poured the dark brew into my cup, I saw the image of a train emerge from the steam: a ‘Mystery Train,‘ then Paul Butterfield & The Band started rocking in the back of my mind.

B efore I share more, let me give you a hint about what this post is all about. The ‘Mystery Train’ is memory, an immortal line of carriages full of all the people you’ve ever met, never met, thought of, know now, and will meet again – and they’re all just waiting for you to sit down for a chat. So climb onboard and settle in for a little ride on the Mystery Train, as we’ll explore the roots of story, character, and experience.

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What's in a Story

What’s in a Story?

Scott J Mulvaney Leave a comment
A hhh story. Like most of us, I grew up thinking stories were what you read or watched, and thought of them as entertainment, a fun way to pass the time. As the only child of ‘busy’ adults, I devoured them and developed an urge to scribble my own, without realizing – until much later – that my creative muse was giving me a tool to know myself, and with that knowing, decipher the story of everything.

E verywhere you look, corporate story engines are influencing billions of people and raking in trillions of dollars in the process; crowding our devices like an aggressive gaggle of garrulous Carny Hawkers desperate to sell us everything from toothpaste, to ideology, to hookups. My goal here is  to play through all that noise, and help you understand & master the universal ‘What’s’ in every story – because these ‘What’s,’ are at the heart of your own high-powered story engine.

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The Ultimate Writer’s* Toolkit – Chapter 2

Scott J Mulvaney Leave a comment
W elcome back scribblers! I’m in between drafts, and was inspired to jump into The UWT C2 while the perspiration & inspiration are fresh. I just had a call with a dear friend and I marveled at her tenacity, and willingness to move past the ‘E’ and into the ‘CC’ – the ‘E’ being Ego, and the ‘CC’ Connected Creativity. If you’ve been perusing my posts, you may be growing weary of hearing me expound on the many juicy delights of getting out of your own way, so I decided to go really, really big, and show you how to re-purpose ego by using ‘Presence’ to expand your Ultimate Scribbler’s Toolkit!

B ut Scott! You just said we have to move past the ‘E,’ absolutely correct! But moving past it, doesn’t mean that it evaporates like a bad dream. Ego, when applied properly, is a scribbler’s delight. How? Well, I hate to annoy the enlightened souls out there, but stripping the world of ego, also strips it of conflict, and conflict my dear scribblers, is the lifeblood of all fiction. Without it we would sit around the maypole in blissful satiety, singing ‘Kumbaya’ ’till the cows came home. So today we’re going to put ego in it’s proper place and practice using it the way it was intended, to help us build powerful stories.

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Your ‘Fierce’ Perception – An Owner’s Manual

Scott J Mulvaney Leave a comment
S eeing is perceiving; seeing is believing; seeing is knowing. You show up, stay present, open your eyes, engage your senses, and let the reality in front of you soak in, as you allow sight, sound, smell, taste & touch feed you all the data you need to fully engage with the world. But are you absolutely convinced of the completeness of the reality that you’re perceiving? And how does your ‘Fierce’ Perception (FP) fit in?!

The word fierce is from the old French fiers: ‘Fierce, brave, proud’, and from the Latin ferus: ‘Untamed.’ So your ‘Fierce’ Perception is the courageous, perceptual engine of your untamed consciousness. Why is it courageous? Keep reading my friend, because drama is anticipation, mingled with uncertainty!

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Writer's toolkit

The Ultimate Writer’s* Toolkit – Chapter One

Scott J Mulvaney Leave a comment
W hen I lived in Los Angeles, I would often run into Ray Bradbury, a creative genius if there ever was one, and we’d talk about writing, movies and all things phantasmic. He was a joy to know; passionate, focused, relaxed, and extremely generous with his time and creative attentions, and one of those great souls who believed in the power of art to expand consciousness, while having fun in the bargain. Ray’s freebooting imaginative spirit inspired this article, and I feel him looking over my shoulder as I write this, so “Ray, this one’s for you!”

The greatest thing about writing is that there are NO RULES! And the most terrifying thing about writing is that there are NO RULES! My dearest South Philly wise woman, Maryanne, called writers (and artists) ‘Scribblers,’ which I like a whole lot better than the more formal and emotionally charged title of ‘Writer.’ So let’s be scribblers together and adopt the following motto: “Use Tools, Not Rules,” and open up this wordsmith’s toolkit for a look-see. Continue reading “The Ultimate Writer’s* Toolkit – Chapter One”

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