Welcome back, my fellow creatives!

I do so love the spectrum of Autumn, from its firey hues to its silver stillness.

While my three Bs have outgrown knocking on doors for treats, they’ll happily sit down for a spooky movie or two. We started the month off strong with Psycho. Yes, the classic. And no, the Internet did not ruin it for them, thank goodness.

Perhaps all these secretive shapes in the mist got me thinking about Sue Coletta’s blog series on the Shadow Self, which she finished up recently on Story Empire. What is the Shadow Self?

Sue does marvelous work breaking down the Shadow Self in Part 1 of her series.

Shadow Self: Part I

In Part 2, Sue helps writers see how their Shadow Selves enrich their characters–especially the villains.

Shadow Self Part II: Benefits

Sue concludes the series with a wealth of prompts and exercises to give voice to our inner darkness and channel it into our storytelling. She also provides inspiration to embrace the boldness that lies hidden within us so we write–and live–boldly and authentically.

Shadow Self Part III: Writing Exercises

We each of us carry a wealth of dreams and fears, each of which can be tapped for compelling characters and conflicts. It can be a frightening thing, venturing inward, but as Sue shows us, that passage into one’s heart of darkness can be transformational in more ways than one.

Coming up, we still have time for a spook, a sorrow, and a surreal sound or two. Stay tuned!

Read on, share on, and write on, my friends!