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Over the Rainbow, A New Tale is Waiting to be Told
By Sandra Lee Schubert | February 5, 2008
“Like the word wild, the word witch has come to be understood as a pejorative, but long ago it was an appellation given to both old and young women healers, the word witch deriving from the word wit, meaning wise.” ~ Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D., Women Who Run With The Wolves
Behind every good tale is another one. Hearing the same story over and over again we might think another perspective is not possible. We assume or don’t even want to know what else could be there. The Broadway musical Wicked features characters from the familiar story of the Wizard of Oz. I was expecting a fun musical about a wicked green witch and a good one in a bubble. Certainly that was true. The two leads have fabulous voices and Joel Grey plays the Wizard. But it is more than just a musical, it also tells the back-story to the familiar one we have all seen replayed year after year on television.
Wicked is a tale about friendship, loyalty, and prejudice. It is also a play about following your dreams and the truth that resides in your heart. In surprising ways it tells the story we had not known.
How did the witch become wicked, or green?
Why were those red shoes so important?
Where did the Good Witch come from?
In the end, the story that I had known for all these years became a more intricate and interesting one.
It also reminded me that there is more than one side to a story. Whether you are a journalist or a fiction writer, it is our job and even our obligation to dig deeper, uncover more and see what else there is to a story, real or not.
If you were to revisit the familiar stories of your life what else might you see?
You know Uncle Joe as lazy only to discover he volunteers in a soup kitchen. Another relative is teased for her weight and then you find photos of her as a beauty pageant winner. I always thought my mother was a republican only to find out 20 years later from my sister she had been a democrat. It was an assumption I had made and never challenged.
Writing should challenge us. Bravely facing the blank page we can explore the aspects of living others just skim over. View things with new eyes and see what you might be missing. The Buddhists talk about living mindfully so try that on for a bit. Wash the dishes with full intention and write about it. Have the characters in your stories be more adventuresome. Characters can take on the mantle of courageousness we may be afraid to delve into. Somewhere over the rainbow is a new tale waiting to be told, don’t be afraid to the leave the safety of your home and discover a new story.
© 2008 Sandra Lee Schubert www.writing-for-life.com
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