An Interview with Beth Barany,
Award-Winning Novelist & Creativity Coach for Writers
BETH: Who are you and what inspires you to write?
I’m Rahima Warren, a psychotherapist (MFT), now retired, and the author of The Star Seer’s Prophecy trilogy. I had no plan to write any such thing, but Kyr, the hero of my trilogy, had other ideas. He haunted my dreams for many years. Then one day, I wrote a very short story about him in my journal, hoping... Read More
Once upon a time, I was a psychotherapist in private practice seeing my clients and minding my own business. Then one day in December 1999, I wrote a little story in my journal. The idea was to write down this inner character’s story so he’d stop pestering me. Ha!
That little story opened the floodgates. Eighteen years later, I’ve retired from my practice, and, much to my surprise, have written The Star Seer’s Prophecy, a fantasy trilogy of sacrifice and... Read More
Expressive Arts: Good for Your Soul!
For many years, I admired fantasy and science fiction writers for their amazing creativity in making up whole new worlds with strange new creatures, while writing fascinating stories. I never imagined being that creative myself. But attending the Person-Centered Expressive Therapy Institute’s training in Expressive Arts Therapy, developed by Natalie Rogers, changed that. I explored all the art forms: movement, writing, art, music, clay-work, collage—only for self-expression, with no concern for technique or end... Read More
Are You a Squid or Jellyfish?
Resistance and Surrender in Life and Creativity
“It’s only when there is complete surrender to the now, to what is, that liberation is possible. I do not believe that a (spiritual) practice will take you to complete surrender. (That) usually happens through living. Your very life is the ground where that happens. ……the willingness to let go is surrender. That remains the key. Without that, no amount of practice or even spiritual experiences will... Read More
July 10, 2015
RWarren
Dark Innocence, Fierce Blessings, Writing
abuse, Compassion, creativity, darkness, forgiveness, healing, transformation, trauma, writing
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Writing from Darkness:
How The Star-Seer’s Prophecy Trilogy was Born
Rahima Warren
When I first began receiving and writing this story of wounding and healing, evil and redemption, suffering and forgiveness, I had no plan or purpose to write any such thing. But the story came through me in a dark, wild, creative rush, and I did not resist. It was a process of writing from darkness… from the unknown… from the fertile void.
Through my own inner work, I... Read More
Staying Safe or Surrendering: Facing a Dilemma in Creativity and Spirituality
Many years ago, I had an awe-inspiring glimpse of the Flow of Divine Creativity. It appeared to me as a cosmic Fountain of Creativity, endlessly flowing upward with an outrageous infinitude of vivid, colorful images: trees, cartoons, volcanoes, tulips, cars, babies, tigers, paintings, skyscrapers, movies, soldiers, roses, stars, drums—everything tumbling upward forever!
I saw that what we human creators do is tap into this infinite Fountain, and channel one... Read More
The old, masculine definition of fierceness has to do with “ferocity, severity, violence, strength, power, savageness, viciousness.” These are some of the synonyms for fierceness that come up in the Thesaurus. But there is a new definition arising among some women I know, having to do with standing up for ourselves, protecting ourselves, being loyal to ourselves, to our intuitive wisdom, to what we love, to what we know is right for ourselves – no matter what others may say... Read More
I’m a bit shyly proud to let you know that I am sharing my tips for writing over on Clarion blog, a well-respected blog for writers of speculative fiction. I call my approach Free-Fall Writing and it is like the expressive art I do.
Hope you will take a look! Click this link: ow.ly/hP0fO
Let me know if it is helpful or inspiring. THANKS!... Read More