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 Carl Jung, synchrnicity, and literature

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alj
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alj


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PostSubject: Carl Jung, synchrnicity, and literature   Carl Jung, synchrnicity, and literature EmptyMon Aug 15, 2011 1:08 pm

I came across this interesting story of how a synchronistic event led to the writing of a short story by author Diane Athill.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jul/04/carl-jung-synchronicity

A chance occurrence reminded her of an incident, and an individual, in her past that she felt compelled to write a story about it.

Has that ever happened to you?

It has to me many times. One time that I remember occurred shortly after writing the first chapter of And Adam was a Gardener. The chapter began:

Quote :
NORTHWEST HOUSTON

1993


The wipers swished rhythmically back and forth as the rain pelted the windshield. Maggie sat in the traffic impatiently, wishing the rain would go away. Only one thing was certain about Houston winters - they were never the same. This one had been hot and wet. Now it was turning cold and wet. The traffic advisory had been warning drivers to stay away from low-lying areas, so there were even more cars on Louetta Road than usual. As the cars inched toward the light, Maggie's attention was drawn to a neon sign on her right:

BRINY DEVLIN'S
IRISH PUB

The sign had to be fairly new. The Louetta area was growing rapidly, and in normal traffic, when there wasn't time to watch anything but the road, new businesses would crop up that she wouldn't even notice for some time. The green sign beckoned invitingly, so as soon as traffic had inched forward enough for Maggie to enter the strip center, she turned.

Now, they tell us that our writing ought to be about something we know, and this passage certainly was. This is a real intersection, and one that I drove through every day that I went to work for 22 years of my life.

Briny Devlin and his pub was purely fictional, though.

Only, one afternoon, a short time after I wrote these lines, I sat at that particular red light, and looked in the direction of my fictional spot, and noticed a brand new neon sign that said, "Molly Malone's Irish Pub." Neither the sign nor the pub had ever been there before.

Granted, it was not the same name. the character was pure invention. (Although different versions of the character continue to show up in my writing, most recently in a couple of characters in my current trilogy. One of them, Chase Holder, is the son of Jake Holder, whom I have mentioned in at least one thread right here in the cafe. More about him later.)

Let me get back to the scene. I have written about this seeming coincidence before. I believe it was a former participant here, Malcolm Campbell, who asked me if I ever stopped and went inside Molly Malone's. The sad answer is that I did not. Perhaps it was fear that stopped me. perhaps it was just common sense.

since then, I have not thought much about Molly Malone. I know that "the Molly Malone's" were a group of Irish revolutionaries, and that had been my only connection to the name. I never wondered about who Molly Malone might have been.

Then, lasrt week, she came up in a curious fashion. I was watching a series of YouTube clips, and this bit was one of them. It came at a time when I was starting to allow some outside elements to get in the way of my writing, and for one reason or another, watching the clip got me back on track. Part of the reason had to do with remembering that Louetta Road intersection, and wondering what might have happened if I had followed through on that experience. It reminded me that we shouldn't let outside influences hinder our progress, and that we should trust our own instincts, no matter what others might think. Remember that, when you are faced with doubts predicated on the opinions of others.



Ann
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dkchristi
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PostSubject: Re: Carl Jung, synchrnicity, and literature   Carl Jung, synchrnicity, and literature EmptyMon Aug 15, 2011 2:09 pm

The Ice Storm, a short story in Romance of My Dreams Anthology was inspired by my own experience with an ice storm. I wrote it in the winter when such storms are frightening when traveling between Florida and Michigan.

However, the terror in the story was directly derived from being caught in a blizzard in Germany. The two merged in the telling of the new story.
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alj
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PostSubject: Re: Carl Jung, synchrnicity, and literature   Carl Jung, synchrnicity, and literature EmptyMon Aug 15, 2011 3:11 pm

Things do that, don't they. Living near the Gulf for much of my life, I've been through several hurricanes and tornadoes - living in Florida, you've probably had that experience, too, but snow and ice are outside my everyday experience.

The worst snow I've seen was just last Christmas, when the storm on the East Coast hit as far south as NC, where my daughter-in-laws family has a vacation home. She had to drive me to the airport in Norfolk and back - twice, as my first flight out was cancelled just as we - finally - arrived at the airport.

The first year I was here in SA, there was record flooding. It was my first experience with floods in and around hills. Along the coast, the highest elevation is the railroad track. Flash flooding can do a lot of damage. There is nearly always at least one death during the floods here, when they occur.

The Redstone family will experience a flood season near the end of the first book.

Ann
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Shelagh
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PostSubject: Re: Carl Jung, synchrnicity, and literature   Carl Jung, synchrnicity, and literature EmptyMon Aug 15, 2011 3:23 pm

Molly Malone has to be sung by an Irish band:

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alj
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alj


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PostSubject: Re: Carl Jung, synchrnicity, and literature   Carl Jung, synchrnicity, and literature EmptyMon Aug 15, 2011 3:39 pm

Rousing voices and music in that one, Shelagh.

Visuals don't have quite the same effect. Carl Jung, synchrnicity, and literature 467431

Ann
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Shelagh
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PostSubject: Re: Carl Jung, synchrnicity, and literature   Carl Jung, synchrnicity, and literature EmptyMon Aug 15, 2011 3:52 pm

Maybe not. For pitch-perfect sound, you can't beat this:

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alj
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alj


Number of posts : 9633
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Age : 80
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PostSubject: Re: Carl Jung, synchrnicity, and literature   Carl Jung, synchrnicity, and literature EmptyMon Aug 15, 2011 4:38 pm

You're right. Beautiful voice, and she is most definitely prettier than Russell.

Ann
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