A Guest Blog by Yoly
Most human writers possess five eyes. If you are endowed with two normal visual orbs, that accounts for two of them. One of the five is what is referred to as the "third eye." Wordnetweb defines it thusly:
"...a sensory structure capable of light reception located on the dorsal side of the diencephalon in various reptiles..."
But we've already decided you are not a reptile, so we'll need to go with the Wikipedia definition:
"The third eye (also known as the inner eye) is a mystical and esoteric concept referring in part to the ajna (brow) chakra in certain Eastern and Western spiritual traditions.
It is also spoken of as the gate that leads within to inner realms and spaces of higher consciousness."So that's the third.
Then there's the fourth: the eye that goes inside when you're thinking about something more mundane. For example, while driving down the street, you've been replaying a blurb on "Murrmurrs" or wondering what your dog's horoscope means.
Then there's the fifth eye. That's the one writers have.
Right about now, you might be giving me the sixth eye—the evil eye—but that only exists in fiction.
Some people might argue that the third and fifth eye are the same thing. Let them. Be peaceful and smug knowing they're not.
Writing is magic. If you peer into a hole in the air with the fifth eye, you'll witness stories unfold, lives emerge, and characters come and go. Only true writers possess this key to other universes and often bump into each other and each others' stories. This can be annoying—especially if you've worked on a novel for years and, just as you are ready to submit it, your pal pops out with your idea in a short story.
We are all just channelers of this other dimension and really haven't much to do with the actual creation of the story.
Through the use of our will and props, we can bend it this way or that, but the best we can do is to keep our channel clear and open, and when inspiration hits, be ready with pen or keyboard.
As a component of the magical process, all stories contain archetypes. If you ever feel stuck, pull out your Tarot deck (I'm sure you all have one) and sort out the Major Arcana. You'll have 22 compelling, thematic characters from which to build. Well, 21 as you should reserve the Fool. Pull one or two of these archetypes, particularly opposing types, and stick them together as your major characters. Select from the face cards for your minor characters. Draw out a couple of theme and plot cards from the Lower Arcana. Throw in the Fool and send him on his journey. Have him meet up with the archetypes along the way and see what happens. If you're familiar with the Tarot, just do a traditional Celtic spread and write the story as it appears.
All of the elements must be balanced in your story. By this, I'm not talking about character arc, acts and endings. I'm talking about air, earth, fire and water, as asserted by Empedocles of Acragas. Air represents intellect. Your character's intellect and the logic of your story must be present or it won't work. Earth represents the material, finite world. How you move your character through this, what obstacles he/she must overcome must be present or it won't be grounded in reality. Fire—this is the passion. What drives your characters? What are their secrets, their motives? What compels them and sets their story aflame? And water is emotion. Without the emotional component, your characters will be lifeless and dull. Without evoking emotion in your reader, your book or story will fail. But with all of these components properly fat, your story will balance (as well as your life, if you apply these principles to yourself).
Now you know a little about magic and more about writing using your fifth eye from the fifth element: Spirit. Always let your spirit guide you and even if your Fool plummets off the cliff, your readers will be bewitched into following.
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