My daughter, Tulani.
We’re working on ideas for my upcoming film, Across The King’s River.
Keisha is a poet, writer and story consultant. We’re trying to nail down what’s driving the main characters in my film and why.
See, when you’re working on a documentary film, you just don’t take off somewhere and start filming. You’ll waste a lot of time and money that way.
You need to understand the core message of the film – the heart and the soul, and then you can craft a story around it.
We all have stories and I believe that our stories are sacred.
Keisha-Gaye Anderson
The problem is that too many of us are not in touch with our own story and drift through life without unlocking the power or the potential that lies within.
It’s not easy…
That’s what I’ve discovered as I work on my own story for the film. I’m one of the main characters in my film, and when you work with a story consultant like Keisha, she pushes you to understand what each character wants and why they want it.
I struggled as I reflected on what I want. I had to dig deep!
I’m going to ask you the same questions Keisha might ask if you were a main character in a book or a film.
1. What do you want at this stage of your life? Why do you want it?
2. What obstacles are you facing? What is holding you back from getting what you desire?
3. What do you feel conflicted about? What will happen if you don’t get what you want?
4. Do you want the same thing at this stage of your life that you wanted years ago?
5. What about the other characters in your life? What do they want?
6. Do other family members understand your story? Do you genuinely understand theirs?
7. Which characters outside your family do you closely identify with? Why?
8. Are you at peace with your story?
These questions are important whether you’re working on a film or not. Just like you can’t move forward in a film without clarity, you can’t move forward in life without clarity either.
You MUST understand what’s driving you.
If you’re feeling stuck right now, maybe it’s because you’re no longer clear about your story. Or maybe your story has changed or is in the process of changing and you’re not sure what it all means.
What have I learned from working on story development exercises with Keisha so far?
1. What we want isn’t always obvious to us.
2. Why we want something isn’t always obvious either.
3. Most of us are far more complex than we realize.
4. Most of us feel conflicted about who we are, what we feel, and what we want.
What about you? I would love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to comment.
To learn more about Keisha-Gaye Anderson and her upcoming books and film projects, visit her website at: http://www.keishagaye.com/
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Blessings,
James Weeks
Producer, Across The King’s River