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Archive | Archetypes and Myths: They Generate Deep Writing

The following articles explore the role of archetypes and myths in our lives and ultimately how they are vehicles for more meaningful memoir writing. If you want to generate deep writing in your memoir, these articles are not to be missed.

We all want to write a memoir that is significant, that elicits an appreciative response in the nature of: “This memoir has really helped me to understand/accept/heal something in my life that I had not appreciated before—at least so clearly.”

Archetypes and myths may be your key

The concept of archetypes was developed by Carl Jung to explain psychic energies that impel us in this or that direction. It can be as simple as a longing or a yearning that will not leave you in peace.

Myths have often been called the stories of other people’s religions. Yes, myths are stories that explain the world in terms of a world view—whether that world view is Christianity, corporate business, science or Roman or Greek life.

The use of archetypes and personal myths in your writing is an excellent way of adding depth to your story.

These blog posts explain much.

There has been much published on the role of archetypes and myths. Avail yourself of the following articles to commence your exploration of how to apply this knowledge to your memoir writing and then branch off to other sources. The Internet is fill of well-written articles that you ought to read.

In conclusion

Once you learn to discern the archetypes and myths that were operative in your life, in the time depicted in your memoir, you will produce deep writing that will make your memoir stand out.

 

your life as a myth

How to Write Your Personal Myth Into Your Memoir Part 1

Your life as a myth–is your life determine by the myths you live by? Myths are the stories we create to express how we perceive the world and life. How we live our lives is determined by the myths we live by, but our lives also reveal our myths to ourselves and to the world.

write a significant memoir

How to Write a Significant Memoir

That our memoir is insignificant is about the last thing we memoir writers ever want to read about our magnum opus. How do we write a significant memoir? What separates a significant memoir from an insignificant one? I’ll give you a hint: it’s not fame it’s not the scope of the arena of the action. […]

write a significant memoir

Your Life as a Myth Part 3

The following is the third installment of a three-part series on Your Life as a Myth, using myths and archetypes in memoir writing. In this first post of Your Life as a Myth, I wrote about both archetypal patterns in general and about the martyr archetype. In the second post, I wrote about the orphan […]

myths and archetypes

Your Life as a Myth Part 2

The following is the second installment of a three part series on the use of myths and archetypes in memoir writing. In the first part of Your Life as a Myth, I wrote about both archetypal patterns in general and about the martyr archetype. In today’s post, I write about the orphan and the prince-left-at-the-pauper’s-door. […]

life as a myth

Your Life as a Myth Part 1

In your life as a myth, we discuss myths as the stories we create to express how we perceive the world and life. How we live our lives is determined by the myths we live by, but our lives also reveal our myths to ourselves and to the world. What are your myths? Look at […]

family myths

Going Beyond Family Myths to What Really Happened

Family myths aren’t always true. Your family myths may be stories your people choose to tell about themselves regardless of what really happened. Myths are stories we tell about how the world seems to us to be organized. Most of us are familiar with the religious myths Greeks and Romans told as they sought to […]

family myths

Writing A Memoir Is a Statement of a Personal Myth

Myths are stories that explain psychic processes. When you are writing a memoir, you are engaging in a profound psychic process of re-creating a personal myth. It is a wonderful experience but let the myths enlighten you as to the price you will have to pay.