So, I’ve been getting some feedback on The Diva Story. A few people have told me: This Diva Story is slow. When are Milly and Hannah finally getting together?
I truly am grateful for messages with feedback, but they can be very upsetting to me too. I think anyone who ever created something – even just a slide deck or an email with an idea – knows the disheartening ‘omg, they don’t like it’ feeling.
This is why I am such a big fan of Brené Brown, who talks about vulnerability. Every time you send out an idea, a story, a slide deck, a whatever, … you become oh so vulnerable. It’s so frightening!
My wife encouraged me to blog about my struggle with ‘complaints’ or well-meant requests to speed things up. Well, to be honest, she told me to blog about ‘That’s the way the story goes. Accept it.‘ But I turned it into this post about how I create and that I didn’t decide to take it slow with this story. The story did 🙂
So here are my thoughts and here’s my reply to ‘Why is this story so slow?’ It’s about how I create. It’s about how I look at creativity. And it’s a ‘Sorry, girls, this is just a slow burner. I can’t help it!‘
I’m curious what you think!
***spoiler alert! Listen to part 11 first!***
Why is this story so slow? For me, the story and the characters need this time to develop. But that’s just personal preference and of course, most importantly, the way the story just happens to come to me.
I mean that quite literally. I rarely sit down and think ‘let me develop the story for the podcast’. I sit down to listen. When I start thinking about an episode or the story, I usually first get some sort of ‘gut feel’. This can be like an atmosphere, or a feeling. Maybe even a taste.
You see, like in the book by Elizabeth Gilbert I recommended in the newsletter, I look at creativity as ideas that walk by and whisper to someone whenever they feel like it. If I’m ready and waiting for them, I can grasp what they want to say, what they want this story to be about. Then it’s up to me to put all that into words and sounds.For part 11, I heard Hannah’s relief to be out of the city and the shift in her feelings towards Milly. For me, this episode was really important and actually quite exciting. We find out Hannah bought Milly flowers, we find out she thinks of her as ‘Milly’ and that she cares deeply how Milly is doing.
Those are some important changes in Hannah’s world of emotions and thoughts. She has taken a couple of very important steps to get to know Milly better. They might not be literal steps, but these changes in her inner life are fundamental to make whatever will happen next possible.Since I’m already knee deep in a very personal post, let me also say that I am deeply grateful and deeply worried at the same time when I receive this kind of feedback. One side of me panics. People hate my work! People are bored! I suck! I should stop doing this!
Another side of me is in awe and amazed that my story causes someone to feel something. Even if it is frustration because the story is slow. That gratitude grows when people take the time to email me and explain what they feel, what they go through when listening. So, thank you for that.I understand this story feels (too) slow for some of you. But that’s just…this story. Maybe somebody else would use the ideas and create something different with it. Something faster. Something shorter. But for me, this is the only way I can bring forth The Diva Story 🙂 I write it down the best way I can, I create the audio version the best way I can and then I send it out to you the best way I can.
As a creator, I have to accept my work will not be interesting to everyone. Some people will hate my stories. Others will hate this episode, but love the next. For yet another person it’s the other way around. It really is out of my control and that in itself is a very humbling, often in a painful way, experience. Sending things out into the world is a scary business!
Anyway, I hope this post gives you a bit of insight on how I create. I can’t change the story and make it go faster, but I can speak honestly about why it is the way it is. Then I have to let it go and hope all (y)our wishes are granted by the next idea walking by 😉 I look forward to writing down part 12. I’ve seen some interesting things flash by…
Sigrid
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