Personal Storytelling for Peace
Caring Keys for Stories that Shape Hearts to Hope
If life is a reflection, then representing every character with dignity (even predators, prey, storms and weeds) increases my own self-love and respect.
With that in mind, here’s a set of caring and curious questions to keep in mind while telling stories, not as requirements but as keys that open doors into greater love, hope and peace:
Setting
Does the story provide a context that cultivates understanding and compassion for all the characters?
Characters
Does the story illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of all the characters?
Does it provide enough background to understand how those strengths and weaknesses came to be?
Plot
There are three elements that are most important to a meaningful plot:
Relationship
Does the story illustrate how the strengths and weakness of the characters work together?
Does the story offer what’s needed for the reader/listener to have compassion and understanding for each character who is in relationship or in conflict (even an antagonist)?
*keep in mind that relationship does not need to be to another person. It can also be in relationship to place, objects, past versions of the self, etc.
Character Growth: Overcoming obstacles/challenges
Does the story illustrate how the characters’ challenges support their growth?
Does it illustrate the silver-linings of the challenges?
Meaning/Purpose/Moral
What purpose does your story serve for the reader? What does it affirm or inspire for them? How does it support hope, love and peace in their lives?
Wanna dive in even deeper to the storytelling of This Wonderful World? Check out:
→ Dignity for Humanity: Compassionate Storytelling for Peace
→ Hypnosis of Hope: Songs & Stories for Peace & Empowerment
Happy Storytelling!
Read More About the Foundations of Reflective Art with:
The Heart of Reflective Arts: for peace within and all around