S1 E82: Personal vs. Persona | Strength To Be Human --Global Arts & Affairs Podcast, Hosted by Mark Antony Rossi

5 years ago

This episode is so extra dynamic, energetic and interesting in its discussion of the main subject, as well as its meandering into the alleys of numerous sub-topics. No wonder time just flies by listening to you and John exchange thoughts and experiences on the writing process and its products. As to the personal and persona relationship, I believe there is no clear dichotomy between the two, or a clear boundary where one ends and the other begins, as we often draw from personal sources to build a fictional persona, or a whole imaginary world. Some of the personas we create are imbued with parts of us, as their creators and in others, there may be few traces of us. The heroine in my two novels, for example is a psychiatrist, and there is no mystery behind that profession choice, as I am personally fascinated by psychotherapy, and often talk about it with my sister, who is a real psychiatrist. Whatever personal aspects we use to create our characters, the key is to raise the level of the personal to that of the universal in order for our writing to find its echo in our readers. Anais Nin’s diaries, for example, albeit highly personal, have the appeal of universal art that dissects the human condition and its existential despair, and becomes a mirror reflecting the reader’s dilemmas, fears, anguish, hopes etc. You mention that writing is not a cerebral activity and I absolutely agree. Art originates in some mystical inner space within us. I also agree with John when he says that you cannot teach writing. Writing is much more that the mere mastery of the mechanics of a language and its linguistic form. I don’t even know if you can teach people cooking. Replicating recipes may not produce much of culinary magic. Your show just keep getting better and better. J Begovic