“Here is a process that I’ve found helpful for many years. It is similar to the Magic Typewriter. I work on it almost every day. It’s called Fantasy Journaling. I write a journal from the first-person perspective as if I were living my best life without limitation.
(My fantasy house and key to it.)
Anything goes. If I find myself smiling because my story is so awesome, then I know I’m doing it right. This isn’t for goal setting.
If I find myself getting frustrated because my real life is so far off, then I stop for the day- there is too much resistance. When I started, I had to start with small stories (a page or less) where something simple was happening.
For example, I’m at a friend’s house eating a sandwich by the pool. This was because my belief only went that far. I then slowly worked up to more fanciful things. —- I definitely do this in private, and don’t share it with anyone. Their opinions might color my story. They definitely wouldn’t approve! —-
The objective is to get in a good feeling place. I spend time searching for cool and inspiring pictures and integrating them into the story. This further expands the happiness factor. Nothing bad ever happens in my story. No drama. I don’t fix anything in my real life, I just start in a new place.
Any day that I spend working on this process, I start feeling good inside. My brain can’t tell the difference between the two lives. In my memory, it feels like all that stuff happened. My first fantasy journal is novel-length at 165 pages. It’s a happy place I can visit any time, full of complete characters and places.”
Below are four entries in Shawn Gately’s “Fantasy Journal!”
