A Courageous New Year in Oz
Cowardly Lion, by Tarl Telford
Courage is a thing that when it is inside you, the world seems different. So it was for the Cowardly Lion in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. So it is for us. Sometimes we just need a little reminder that what we need is already growing inside of us – it just needs a little more light to grow properly.
Today is the first day of 2013. This new year is going to be an exciting one for the Hidden History series. Book Two is more than half complete. The master plan is to publish in spring.
The entire series is plotted. That’s seven books’ worth of story that I am anxious to share this with you, my readers. When I say I have plotted out the series, I mean that I have set the landmarks and the the conflict. But any trip is not defined simply by its landmarks. The journey is
what makes the trip memorable.
Each Day is a Journey
As with any trip, you can look at the map and see the landmarks, but that doesn’t really describe the trip. My family took a trip last week. We drove from Texas to the Upper Midwest to visit with extended family. We stayed a week and drove home. We had a larger load to bring back with us, so we decided to make the return trip in a single day. (That’s nearly 1000 miles!) Crazy? Yes. Foolish? Not really. We did it in 24 hours – 21 of which were driving. Do I want to do that again? Not a chance. It was an experience that I can only say, “we did it.” I don’t know how we did, but we did.
Traveling Down the Brick Road
In Oz, the Brick Roads are conduits for magic. They transport the magic to the various corners of Oz. Where the roads don’t go, the magic doesn’t flow. Remember in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz when the Soldier with Green Whiskers told Dorothy that there is no road that travels to the castle of the Wicked Witch of the West? It is no wonder that the land of the Winkies was desolate. Without the constant flow of magic into the land, it dried up and became unproductive.
What brick roads are in your life? What powers the corners of your life? Is it art, writing, comic books, movies, music, singing, dancing, building models? The list can go on and on. The things that inspire you to do good and to create are your brick roads. The magic that flows through them into you can power your life.
The City Built on Dreams
The Emerald City was built on the dreams of one dreamer. It changes day by day, symbolizing the constantly growing and clarifying power that dreams play in our lives. As we move forward our goals and path may change while we follow our dreams. That is because we, as human beings, are constant works in progress. Life is a continual process of visualization and creation. The Emerald City is a symbol of hope. It is never completed because it is meant to be the physical reminder that to dream is to grow.
Courageously Move Forward
The Cowardly Lion is a character we know. His journey began (as far as we know) with trusting Dorothy and staying true to what she believed in. As his experience grew, he began to believe the same things as Dorothy, and eventually believed in himself.
We can live on borrowed light for a while, but we need to build and radiate our own light. The light that comes into the world because of each one of us is unique and powerful. Make the world better because you create. Grow in your determination to make something that did not exist before. Arrange things in a new way. Share the way that you see the world. Keep moving forward. And never, ever stop dreaming.
The Hidden History of Oz 
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Your last paragraph is so inspiring, and has inspired me to ask a question… I’m writing my first novel and with only a few areas left to flesh out, I just stopped. I blame Christmas, school holidays, being too tired, my eyes are sore, my hair is annoying me…. get the impression I’m dodging the finish? I don’t really know why I stopped, but stopped I have. Courage to continue would be great. The courage to keep moving forward even better. It’s not a writers block I’m talking about, it’s more a writers road block. Like I’m getting in my own way. Have you experienced this before? Any advice you can offer would be great. Thank you. Kim.
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January 24, 2013 at 11:31 PM
Here’s an exercise for you: make a list of everything in other people that annoys you and bothers you and gets your goat. Be specific, be general, be verbose. Find out what really bothers you.
Got it? Good. Now look in the mirror. If you just grimaced, that means the exercise worked. You see in yourself the things that you most despise in other people. Now look at your story.
Is there something in the mirror that belongs in the story? Chances are, yes. And chances are, that is the thing that you subconsciously do not want to deal with. So finding reasons to work on everything else except writing is an easy escape.
Here is a rainbow to brighten this storm – the truth you discover in your story will be a truth that you needed to find in yourself. It will probably hurt. Maybe it is a bone that needs to be rebroken to be set correctly. It will heal, and you will be stronger.
Kim, you need to believe that you have a story worth telling. There is no one in the world that can tell a story just like you. You have light that can shine in the darkness in such a way that it defines a particular corner and betters the world.
How can writing fiction be a way to light the world and make things better? How can that be my purpose? That is a good question. The answer is that God doesn’t make junk. Everything he makes has a purpose and the freedom to act within their sphere. Now it’s up to you, the writer, to act.
If there is anything that gets in your way, remember that it can be overcome, waited out, or fought through. If it is still in your way, guess what? It’s a mirror. Recognize it as such and state very clearly “My shadows do not have power over me. They are a part of me, but they are not the dominant part. I am the master of my fate.” And keep moving forward.
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January 25, 2013 at 9:36 AM
OK, this I was not expecting. I asked a question and got a response that has left my hands shaking and yes, tears in my eyes. I really don’t know how to thank you for the time you have taken, you have amazed me. Know that when advice is offered I hear it, and your words that you have so generously shared, mean so much. So I will say thank you, but it is not enough. Kim.
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January 25, 2013 at 4:05 PM
The road that I have traveled has been pitted and cloaked in shadow. It is not an easy road to get to the bright spots. Come to find out that the bright spots are mirrors to look into my own self.
The journey of writing reflects the journey into self. The truest stories are the ones that are written by authors being true to themselves, for therein lies the grain of universal truth that all can relate to (whatever it may be).
I am glad that my words helped you. With the response you offered, I’m certain that the story you have to tell is just as much for you as it is for the rest of the world.
Writing is a lonely life, but you come to know your innermost truths very well, so, in that sense, it is a journey you were born to make.
Keep moving forward, the best is yet to be recognized.
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January 25, 2013 at 4:12 PM
Not all bright spots are found in mirrors – some are found in the comments section on blogs. Moving forward? Yes, I will.
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January 25, 2013 at 4:17 PM