The Path of the Writer-Magican
June 16, 2024
As of late last month, I’ve gone back to school for an MA in Creative Writing with a concentration in Publishing. In one of my foundational classes I was asked to develop and write down my own creative manifesto. I wasn’t sure what I’d say, but once I started the words were already waiting for me. Now I’d like to share it with you.
The Path of the Writer-Magician – a manifesto
Story is the child of the primordial forces of creation and destruction and it’s the deepest magic we possess as human beings. All people have the gift of this magic, but not all people heed it. Those of us who cannot resist its call become writers.
A writer is someone attuned to the power of story and uses words to create universes inside the minds and hearts of others.
A writer is a magician of the heart, mind and soul.
Words woven with the generative power of life can reveal truth and give name to our dreams. Words drawn from the well of destruction can break hearts and bind us in a web of falsehoods. Words can be tame or wild, fire or ice, love or hate, and the charge of the writer is to wield the balance of these forces responsibility.
For many years, I ignored this magic, fearful of judgement, and of myself in many ways. And as I continue my journey into these arts, I am still actively discovering exactly the kind of writer I am and want to be, but here are the things I know for certain:
I seek to write fiction for the marginalized. For the outsiders, the people who struggle find themselves in media today, and especially for the people who don’t believe they are worthy of “wearing the red cape”. I want people to find the hero inside themselves with the help of the heroes in my stories.
I really don’t give a shit about genre in so far as writing to a specific one. I will tell the stories I have inside me and not allow marketing to constrain my work.
To bring a “beginner’s mind” to my studies is the way to ensure I continue to grow as a writer-magician.
As a writer beginning their study of this magic in middle-age, I recognize that it is likely that I have less days ahead of me than behind me, and this is a best-case scenario. My goal is to get as many of my stories out of myself as I can before I’m gone.
I will help aspiring authors and creatives to find their own path to the magic. I will support my fellow creators and share whatever learnings I can. I will give back as much as I can in the hope that I help someone set themselves free from the fear of embracing their inner magic, just as kind authors and creators have done for me.
1 thought on “A Dangerous Business”
Jared,
Looks good. I hope you are doing well in Florida these days. How about writing something based on your experiences in Japan?
Comments are closed.