Raeshell Rozet's Blog: My Writing Journal - Posts Tagged "fantasy"

One of my favorite writers is Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes. She wrote the best-selling book, “Women Who Run with the Wolves.” Not only is she a brilliant writer, but she’s also a psychologist. Dr. Estes shares myths and fairytales and then uses the stories as a means to examine real life. To ask the big questions. The ones that stump us.

My bachelor’s degree is in Developmental Psychology. And like Dr. Estes, I’ve always been fascinated with stories and people. I remember being six years old and finding a psychology book. It was love at first sight. Reading came easy to me, so even at that age, I was able to start studying and appreciating the complexity of human nature.

My books are my archive of the lessons I’ve learned either through my own experiences or by observing the experiences of others. Like fairytales, I use characters and fantastical settings to illustrate things I don’t want to forget. Didn’t we all learn the danger of talking to a stranger from reading Little Red Riding Hood?

I write my books with the same intention. Hopefully, I create stories with enough emotion and drama that the themes stay with the reader (and me) even after the story is finished. At least, that’s my goal.

My form of preparatory research for writing my books is to devour psychology books in the early morning, while I eat my oatmeal and drink my tea. This is where I get my ideas.

If you read my Spirit and the Wolfman Series closely, you might notice that one character is a narcissist. I don’t want to give any spoilers, so I won’t mention which one. I’ve read many books about narcissism, and unfortunately, have had experiences with one in real life. Part of the motivation of writing that character was to create a reminder of what a narcissist looks like, so I can run the other way if I see one again.

I’m taking a new direction with my blog. I’d like to share more behind the scenes thoughts I have about the psychology woven within my fantasy books.

Also, I’ll be talking about the shows and stories I love to watch and read, and more importantly, what I learn from them. I’m an addict of Asian Fantasy (currently binge- watching k-drama Hotel Del Luna on Netflix). As for reading, I’m working my way through “Love and Work” by Marcus Buckingham. I'll be sharing my thoughts about these and other books/shows in the future.

Please subscribe to the blog and share the journey with me! I’d love to hear your thoughts.

What important life lessons have you learned from a story?

I have a confession to make, and what I’m about to reveal probably goes against popular opinion. I recently watched “FUBAR,” a new series on Netflix, and found myself a little unhappy with it.

It was entertaining, and I did watch it all the way through. I could give several reasons why it is a good show. It was funny, clever, and I will most likely watch Season Two. That said, the characters weren’t really my cup of tea. Except for one supporting character, Carter, who is played by Jay Baruchel.

I often found myself fast forwarding to track Carter’s journey through the story. A rather strange behavior seeing that he had a relatively small part to play. Finally, catching myself in the act of once again, skipping through most of the show, curious only about Carter’s fate, I began to ask that all important question, “Why?”

After a two second soul search, the answer was obvious. I didn’t give a damn about the rest of the characters.

Carter is more nerd than athlete. He’s a good guy with a kind heart. Unfortunately, he’s mixed in with a morally questionable crowd (think badass spies who lie and kill to save the world). For the most part, I didn’t really mind the rest of the characters doing bad things with good intentions until it seemed to impact poor Carter. Then I could care less about the lot of them. I just kept watching hoping that Carter would be okay.

So, I was slightly disenchanted with my FUBAR experience. But something good did come of it. This show did inspire me to rewatch an old, favorite movie of mine, “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” which also stars Jay Baruchel. In this 2010 movie, Jay Baruchel plays Dave Stutler.

The character Jay Baruchel plays in “FUBAR” and the one he plays in the “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” are very similar. Both are smart, nerdy, and kindhearted. The biggest difference between the two roles is that in “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” Dave Stutler is the hero.

I don’t want to give away too many spoilers, even though the movie has been out for over a decade. If you haven’t seen it yet, I’d recommend checking it out! But what I love about this movie is that Dave Stutler doesn’t have to transform into a badass to save the day. He literally doubles down on his nerdiness and compassion, and that winning combination gives him the strength he needs to get the job done. It is what others (and most of society) see as a weakness that is truly Dave’s superpower.

Most of all, I love and respect that Dave can still treat others with respect and loyalty while battling the bad guys. This is a hero that I can learn from.

It makes me rethink what I consider to be my own personal strengths and weaknesses. I recently took the Clifton Strengths test from Gallup and found my number one strength is Empathy (which is probably why I resonate so deeply with Dave Stutler and was upset with how Carter was being treated).

As I write my books, I’m always exploring a deeper theme underneath the external plot. Working on the final book in the Spirit and the Wolfman Series (Book 4), I’ve been playing with this idea of unconditional acceptance of oneself, regardless of what society might value, and finding the way to be heroic with whatever we’re given.

What are your strengths? Do you have a weakness that might be a strength in disguise?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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