“Part of Something Larger Than Ourselves”

I’m sure some of you have seen this TED Talk with Eric Whitacre. If not, watch it. If so, watch it again.

It’s a wonderful reminder of so many aspects of life in these times, particularly the possibilities for creativity and community.

I’ve been teaching screenwriting online since 2002. Blogging here since 2008. I’ve experienced first-hand in my own small way the deep sense of connection which can occur between humans who never meet physically, but do on an emotional, creative, even spiritual level when immersed in personal efforts to write stories and collectively to deepen our understanding of the craft.

2,000 plus voices united as a virtual choir. This is terrific example of what I call the “spirit of the spec,” coming up with an idea, acting on it, creating something, then putting it out into the universe to see what happens. While the music is beautiful, it is the concept itself, the creative inspiration behind the idea that impacts me most about this video.

The thing is, each one of us is capable of brilliance. If you are drawn to screenwriting, TV writing, writing of any kind, then by default you are open to the Muses, you are seeking the Herald’s Call. Indeed, you are part of something larger than yourself. The seeds for the stories you are capable of writing lie within You, but as they emerge into being, they become a Story Universe, organic and alive, capable of connecting with thousands, even millions of people.

Therefore inspired by this video and the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, I encourage each of us, writers all, to embrace the possibility of what we can conjure with our ideas, what we can create with our words, what magic we can make as storytellers, and be part of something larger than ourselves.

For more background on the video, go here.

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