Shane Shennan’s Neighborhood

     How are we forced to do something to make life a better story for us? It takes an “inciting incident.” Miller's friend Jordan said, “The inciting incident is how you get [the character] to do something...It's the doorway through which they can't return, you know. The story takes care of the rest.” (p. 104)

      Donald Miller talks about how a person can meet with opposition when trying to create a better story for himself. He refers to what Steven Pressfield, the author of a book called The War of Art, says about writers having to write even when they don't feel like it. Miller paraphrases Pressfield, when he says that “resistance, a kind of feeling that comes against you when you point toward a distant horizon, is a sure sign that you are supposed to do the thing in the first place. The harder the resistance, the more important the task must be...” (p. 115)

      Later in the book, Miller talks about how, when you do something in life, you become like the character you're trying to be (p. 155) Basically, he's saying that you are what you do. He says, “The truth is, we are all living out the character of the roles we have played in our stories.” (p 167)

      Miller talks about what he learned from a lecture on story. The speaker, Robert McKee, said, “it's conflict that changes a person.” (p. 180) He said, “You put your characters through hell. You put them through hell. That's the only way we change.” (p. 180)

      Later, the author talks about what happens when we don't have a story in our lives. He says, “You can't go on without a story any longer than you can read a book about nothing.” (p. 192)

      Miller talks about what perspective to take in living out our own stories. He indicates that each of us are trees in a forest, and that “the story of the forest is better than the story of the tree.” (p. 198)

Miller says, “A good movie has memorable scenes, and so does a good life.” (p. 212) He talks about building “altars” in our lives...memorable scenes that “punctuate the existing rise and fall of a narrative.” (He talks about how a story has “both positive and negative turns” (p. 119) in a previous chapter, and that a character in a story “doesn't give up when he encounters a setback” (p. 119) because he knows this fact.)

Miller says, "Humans are designed to seek comfort and order, and so if they have comfort and order, they tend to plant themselves, even if their comfort isn't all that comfortable.  And even if they secretly want for something better." (p. 100)  He indicates that we, just like characters in a story, don't get up and take action unless we are forced to do so.  

     In the next section of A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, Miller talks about how, in a story, "a character [has] to face his greatest fears." (p. 66)  He realized that he was going to have to face one of his greatest fears: meeting his father, the father who wasn't there for him during his childhood.  This was a "better story" for him to follow.  Miller says, "And once you know what it takes to live a better story, you don't have a choice.  Not living a better story would be like deciding to die, deciding to walk around numb until you die, and it's not natural to want to die." (p. 66)

     In the following chapter, Miller talks about the purpose of life: transformation.  He says, "if story is just a condensed version of life, then life itself may be designed to change us, so that we evolve from one kind of person to another." (p.68)

     Furthermore, life is like a story because God is like the writer of your life and you are the character, either playing out what God, the author, wants, or you are making your own decisions about how to live your life.  Miller talks about how, in the process of story writing, characters don't tend to do what you want them to...even though they are imaginary, an author finds that they take on a life of their own and do what they like rather than what the author wants them to do.  The same applies to humankind.  We can be rebellious characters in our own story, not listening to God's voice in our lives.  This voice is not necessarily the one belonging to your pastor or parents or religious ideals, but a still small voice, a deep inner knowing of what the Author wants you to do.  When you, as the main character in your own story, start listening to that quiet voice inside you, you become a better character, and Miller says, "when you are a better character, your story gets better too." (p. 88)

     I just finished reading a great book in the wee hours this morning.  It's by the same author who wrote Blue Like Jazz, for those of you who know about or have read that great book.  I just wanted to highlight some of the core ideas of A Million Miles in a Thousand Years so that others might be inspired to read the book, or, if you don't have time to read it or whatever, you can glean inspiration from the main points Donald Miller makes in the book.  I'm also writing this "book report" for myself...so that I can go back and read this when I want to remember Miller's key points and why they inspired me.

     I liked A Million Miles in a Thousand Years so much that I finished it in less than forty-eight hours.  This is quite an accomplishment for me, as I'm not usually a big reader...I rarely finish reading a book.  In short, this book was so good because the writer has what I would consider a unique style.  He doesn't use cliches to describe things, but comes up with his own way of saying them.  Another reason I liked the book was because his main point was continued throughout it.  I fell in love with one of Miller's other books, Blue Like Jazz, a few years ago and it was the best book on the Christian life that I had read since I'd read C. S. Lewis'  Mere Christianity in high school years ago.  Miller's main point was more obscure, however, in Blue Like Jazz than the point he made in his more recent book.  It was still immensely enjoyable, but was more like a collection of experiences that Miller had, and those experiences did not really attempt to point to one specific main idea.  A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, though, is specifically centered upon one idea: that "the elements that made a story meaningful were the same that made a life meaningful." (p. 39)

     What I found interesting initially, was the fact that I had written a poem over a month ago where I talked about my own life as a story.  I said, "Well, now it's my turn / to.../ Take each page I'm given and write a sentence on it each day, / a part of a story / that will unfold a day at a time, / step by step."  This was basically the initial clue I had that this book was one I really should be reading at this point in my life.

     The part in the book where things really started to happen was when Miller got a call from a director who wanted to make a film about his life, based on Blue Like Jazz.  In the process of writing the screenplay with the director and cinematographer, Miller learned that writing the story for a movie was different than writing a book.  The director, Steve, put it this way: " 'While you've written a good book, thoughts don't translate onto the screen very well.  The audience can't get inside your head like they can in a book.  They will be restless.  They won't engage.  Trying to be true to the book is like asking people to read your mind.  A story has to move in real life and real time.  It's all about action.' " (p. 20)  

     Donald Miller had trouble with the idea of events in the movie being different than what actually happened in his life story.  The director and cinematographer wanted to make the movie different than what had actually happened in his life because, as the cinematographer explained to him, his "real life is boring." (p. 25)

     Two chapters later,  Miller talks about his uncle who died.  He painted a picture of a man's life that was not boring, but meaningful...someone who had made a difference in his sphere of influence.  Miller says, "My uncle told a good story with his life." (p. 38)  It was not a life that was boring like Miller's own life.  In the following chapter, right at the beginning, he introduces the main point of the book, that "the elements that made a story meaningful were the same that made a life meaningful." (p. 39)  In the next paragraph, he wonders "if life could be lived more like a good story in the first place.  I wondered whether a person could plan a story for his life and live it intentionally." (p. 39)

     The author goes to a seminar by Robert McKee, a guy who talks about the concept of "story" and has a seminar about it in Los Angeles and New York.  After going to the seminar, Miller still didn't think that he'd learned what the definition of a story was.  His friend, Jordan, summed it up for him simply when he said, "A story is a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it." (p. 48)

     Miller talks about a friend, Jason, who had a 13-year old daughter.  The girl was dating a guy who didn't seem like a good choice for her.  Jason's wife had found marijuana hidden in the girl's closet and Jason thought that the boy she was seeing was the reason the girl had pot in her room.  While this man was talking to Donald Miller, Miller said that "his daughter was living a terrible story." (p. 50)  This got Jason's attention and he seemed intrigued by the concept.  Later, Jason told Miller that his daughter was doing better: Jason had given his family a "better story."  Jason said that his daughter was "not a bad girl...She was just choosing the best story available to her." (p. 51)  This was because, as Miller says in the book, "people can't live without a story, without a role to play." (p. 51)  What had happened was that Jason decided that his family would make sacrifices on things they normally spent money on and save enough money to build an orphanage somewhere else in the world through this organization he discovered.  Jason said, "...the truth is, we don't have the money.  I mean we just took out a second mortgage.  But I knew if we were going to tell a good story, it would have to involve risk." (p. 52)

I've been reading this new book I got recently...it's by Donald Miller (the guy who wrote Blue Like Jazz).  I used the title of the book for my title of this blog entry.
I got into the book and have read it so fast...just a few more chapters to go.
I just wanted to share some of the highlights of his book so other people can be inspired like I have been.
It's interesting b/c he's talking about "story" in this book, and I wrote a poem in November (before I bought the book) that talked about my life as a story.

"...the elements that made a story meaningful were the same that made a life meaningful." (p. 39)

"And once you know what it takes to live a better story, you don't have a choice.  Not living a better story would be like deciding to die, deciding to walk around numb until you die, and it's not natural to want to die." (p. 66)

" Robert McKee talks about character revelation in his book: 'Beneath the surface of characterization,' he says, 'regardless of appearances, who is this person?  at the heart of his humanity, what will we find?  Is he loving or cruel?  Generous or selfish?  Strong or weak?  Truthful or a liar?  Courageous or cowardly?  The only way to know the truth is to witness him make choices under pressure, to take one action or another in the pursuit of his desire.' " (p. 74)

" 'Characters [in a story] don't really choose to move.  They have to be forced.' " (p 101)

" 'The inciting incident is how you get them to do something,' Ben said.  'It's the doorway through which they can't return, you know.  The story takes care of the rest.' " (p. 104)

-

I've been thinking about what I want to go back to school for.  I was thinking dietitian, educational assistant, or esthetician.  But I've been thinking lately about office administration (secretary).
I'm hoping I can get in at Niagara College...I applied there once years ago and didn't get in for some reason.  I need to find out if I can get accepted if I try for another field of study this time.
I think I'd like doing office administration because I can type (only about 65 w.p.m. though), and even though I would have to deal with people, too, it's more of a paperwork kind of job.

Today I am going for my interview at Elmwood Kitchens at 1:00 pm.  I will write more after :)

30 July, 2009 (Thursday)

     Yesterday something great happened!  Eric used the phone here, and when he was done, he said there was a message on the phone.  I checked it and...it was a guy from Elmwood Kitchens calling to ask if I wanted an interview!  He'd had my resume for a couple months or so, and I'd given up on getting called by them.  I figured if you didn't get called in soon after you dropped off your resume, the chances you were going to ever get called were pretty low.  But I got a call!  So I called him back and left a couple messages on his machine, then he got back to me and I have an interview for tomorrow at 1 pm!

     28 July, 2009

     Eric got me out and about today and we did some stuff that was great.
     I registered at the Jobgym finally today...got my own login and password to replace the generic one I used before.  Thing is, I lost the resume I had worked on before because it had been under the generic login that I'd been using (it's a login that other people use, too, so I guess mine was in there somewhere, but I didn't know how to find it). 
     I asked someone to look over my resume, too, and he really fixed it up.  He added a highlights section, which lists my main skills right at the start, and he also redesigned it a bit, by putting some things on the left-hand side of the page (the eye travels from left to right when reading...at least in the Western hemisphere).  Then he printed out some resumes for me :)
     Eric also went to the place that the job club is held and we signed up for that...I'm going to have to get up early for that...it starts at 9 am and it goes until 3:00 pm.  It will go on for three weeks, starting August 10th.  We're going for something like orientation next Wednesday, where we can ask questions and stuff.
     Later on, we both went to Capri Linens to hand in resumes, but they have an application to fill out, so I'm hoping to pass that in tomorrow or soon.
     Got a lot done today!

A friend of mine put a link to this song on facebook.  I'd never heard it before, but it's so good!  I especially like the part I have put in bold writing here... 

"Stand"
sung by Rascal Flatts

You feel like a candle in a hurricane
Just like a picture with a broken frame
Alone and helpless
Like you've lost your fight
But you'll be alright, you'll be alright

[Chorus:]
Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you're made of
You might bend, till you break
Cause its all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you've had enough
You get mad you get strong
Wipe your hands shake it off
Then you Stand, Then you stand
Life's like a novel
With the end ripped out
The edge of a canyon
With only one way down
Take what you're given before its gone
Start holding on, keep holding on

[Repeat Chorus]

[Repeat Chorus]