I wrote this book for a group of individuals that I loosely refer to as "Shamans" (The first "a" in Shaman has three pronunciations: as in "father", as in "shame", or as in "am"). Through the centuries and in various cultures around the world, "Shamans" were many things. For the purpose of this book, I prefer a description of Peruvian Shamans which describes them in part as knowledgeable men and women who were also the storytellers of their communities. And, as keeper of tribal history handed down verbally through the ages, they were also the historians of their time.
In today's world, we Shamans-armed with computers-are capable of recording the lives of our ancestors like never before. And unlike the Shamans of old, we can share our stories with tribes in far away places. We don't tell our stories to the beat of a drum, the rattle of a gourd, or the ethereal wail of a flute. We record them for all eternity in books.
The premise I used in writing We, The Shamans, is that you have had little, or no experience in writing. That you would like to write a family history but don't know how to begin.
My mission is to demystify the process and to instruct the reader in how to writ an exciting story instead of a dull family history. Some folks have a knack for story telling, while others struggle endlessly. Either way, putting the story down on paper is a learned skill, and as in most things, with practice comes improvement.
Your mission should be to get started. You just might surprise yourself!
The artwork by Judith is truly beautiful. It looks great on the computer screen, so I can only imagine how wonderful it must look in person. Good luck on We, The Shamans, and I'm looking forward to holding a copy in my hands.
Posted by: Kris Hodgson | December 08, 2005 at 01:38 PM