The Writer and The Photographer: Passion

Chapter 16: Life, Faith and Beliefs

"Life," she smiled, "is not as short as everyone would have you believe; it lasts a lifetime. It is the longest period that anyone can ever personally experience. And whether you live it to the fullest or not, nobody gets to the end of it without knowing a few important things like heartbreak, failure, happiness and love."

"Going back to the religious aspect," Karen said, her voice mercifully void of arrogance. "Devout followers of any religion will speak of their faith being as a ladder, helping them rise when they fall, guiding them up to the next level and so on.

Does writing do that for you? And if so, how has it helped better your talent?"

"Words have undoubtedly helped me through some very rough times. If words were in fact a religion, I would be a dedicated Wordiest. I believe faith in any form allows people to take what they need from each life experience, each lesson and move on. Some get lost; they become stuck and spend their lives in that one place.

But there are also those who choose to stay because they have come seeking the harmony of each lesson, the message behind what we're led to believe. I suppose I am one of those but as some seek a sign or enlightenment to another level, I always seek my answer as words because for me there is strength to be found within the written word. They hold all the secrets and all the knowledge we need to have in order to be content."

"You talk like words are alive," George muttered and Bea smiled. Slowly she rose to her feet and stepped back up onto the stage so she could pace as she spoke.

"I do actually believe that they are a separate entity. There are times when I don't know whether the words are coming from me or through me and I have no idea what they are saying until they stop and I can go back and read them. They direct themselves, giving me the perfect beginning and the perfect finish."

"But you've studied writing," Jo interrupted, a note of hopefulness in her voice.

"I have," Bea confirmed, glancing up as a handful more people entered the hall. "Through reading books and paying attention, I learned to construct plots and storylines and I realised just how much I enjoyed guiding my characters through them.

I've studied the art of storytelling so thoroughly and for so long that when I watch a movie or a tv show, I am watching the plot and wondering why the writers have made the choices they have made. I can sometimes watch fifteen minutes of a movie and be able to tell you how it ends just from how it's set up at the very beginning. It's become so habitual that I often don't even know I'm doing it anymore."