Writing and Psycho-Drama

Posted by Lyn Rasmussen Oct 20, 2009

Recently I made the two hour journey to Piopio, a small town in New Zealand's King Country. I met again some of the lovely ladies who make up the Waikato/Bay of Plenty chapter of Romance Writers New Zealand. We had lunch at the gorgeous Fat Pigeon Cafe and then convened at a member's home for the rest of the afternoon where our guest speaker was a specialist in psycho-drama.

Most writers probably 'speak' to their characters, but actually putting onself in the physical space of a character to ask questions out loud is a different strategy. Moving about the room alternating between character/s and writer, each challenging the other, digging deeper, was a fascinating exercise. Some members really worked through some of the conundrums they were facing and were able to move forward with a particular piece of writing. Characters often gave unexpected answers. It was a most worthwhile, uninhibiting exercise to help writers uncover the layers of their character/s in surprising and sometimes quite emotional ways.

I made the drive along State Highway 30 on a rain-washed spring day. Some parts of this route are quite isolated but the astonishing panoramic views made the effort well worthwhile. I was reminded again of how lucky I am to live in this beautiful country.