Ideas for the story,"Remembering Elizabeth Walker" began in a cemetery in Oregon. The cemetery was charming, very old and quite colorful. While wandering around reading the various headstones, my friend (the star of the show) and I, came across Elizabeth Walker's headstone dated 1797. I was impressed by seeing something from so long ago and quickly saw images in my mind of what life may have been like for Elizabeth Walker in the 1700's. It was then that I decided I would somehow include the cemetery and Elizabeth's headstone in my second Psych 767 digital story.
Over the next several days, as I thought about writing the story, I knew that I wanted to include in it a section that showed someone standing over Elizabeth's grave site having flashbacks (in black and white) that were somehow connected with her(Elizabeth). The flashback idea directed me toward a topic that could trigger flashbacks...which resulted in being domestic violence. From there, Stella (I've always loved that name) became the second main character.
From there one idea lead to another resulting in a story about a young woman, who was in an abusive marriage, getting in touch with her Grandmother's "spirit" and gaining internal strength to do what she needed to do to move on with her life...away from the abuse. I've done professional counseling with violent men and used my knowledge and understanding of domestic violence to create my story.
While I developed the story, I realized that I was actually writing to an audience of women who were struggling to get out of abusive marriages. The images I chose to reflect abuse were representative of the pain and confusion that abused women experience who have difficulty getting out of abusive relationships. I wanted to speak to those women and tell them that they all have an internal self that may be stronger than they feel or realize. I also hoped to tell them that they are not alone and that there are so many common themes within abusive relationships.
Creating this story provided me with the experience of molding my thoughts and past counseling experiences into something that told a story that others could appreciate and understand and perhaps it could actually be helpful in their lives. I started this story out as more of a fun, light-hearted story. But in the end, it triggered deeper more complex feelings than I had anticipated. I think that some women, and maybe men, who view this story may actually gain a better understanding of domestic violence and how it grabs hold of someone and often doesn't let go....as in the "cycle of abuse." Hopefully they may even give some thought to finding their internal strength and make decisions that may carry them out of an abusive relationship and into a better place in their lives.
The most noteworthy element I learned in writing this piece was that in letting one's thoughts and ideas flow without rigid control (often experienced when on tries too hard) a story may actually evolve that has substance and value that may eventually be applied to reality. In future digital stories, I intend to relax more and let the process of writing and creating flow rather than "try" so hard to write something profound. After all, it is in the process of letting go that allows for a truly creative process to flourish.
