52 min
Are You a Fiction Writer of Your Own Story? with Lana McAra FINE is a 4-Letter Word
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- Mental Health
Family trauma and drama flow through generations and can take on a form of fiction around “family unity,” “handed down traditions,” and “that’s the way it is” that sweep the suffering under the rug. But two things can happen.
Either you’ll find yourself in pain from stepping on the lumps of dirt under the rug, or the rug will slip and slide due to the dirt making it less sticky to the floor – either way, you could fall when you least expect it.
This need to create narratives could be part of why Lana McAra became a published fiction author, a coach and mentor to fiction writers, and host of an acclaimed podcast that delves deep into the ins and outs of fiction novel writing.
Lana was raised in a conservative environment as the oldest of five children of a hospital handyman and a housewife. They lived in Amish country and belonged to a Mennonite community. Rustic, yes – however everything looked fine.
But Fine is a 4-Letter Word – and the contradictions were just beginning.
Her father seemed to be a pillar of integrity who upheld traditional values, while her mother was a rebel who didn’t wear her bonnet or stockings and therefore “scandalized” the entire family. Eventually, her mother filed for divorce, her father moved to the opposite side of the country, and not even two weeks after the divorce, her mother married a volatile and abusive man.
As de facto parent to her four younger siblings, Lana created the narrative that their father, who had become a successful tradesman in his new life, was the example they should follow – even though he had completely abandoned them.
So much for moral rectitude from both parents, huh?
Lana went to college with the intention of breaking free and blazing her own trail… only to almost immediately meet, and soon marry, a man who had the same hypocritical character and controlling manner her father did.
Lana and her husband became missionaries, traveling to different countries like Grenada where her husband’s efforts to control her didn’t fly with the culture. It was a culture shock to come back to the United States and learn it all again.
In the meantime, just as she had been the sole caretaker as a teenager for her four siblings, she now became this for her seven children, all while pursuing her lifelong passion for fiction novel writing.
After 30 years, Lana and her husband divorced. Her family relationships unraveled as she formed short-term reunion bonds with her parents before they died. Then she became estranged from her siblings. All of this led to a nervous breakdown.
The fiction stories she had written all fell apart – but then she met someone at a conference who led her toward literally tapping the depths of her trauma.
You’re about to meet Lana and discover the very real new story she is penning!
Lana’s hype song is "You Don't Mess Around with Jim” by Jim Croce.
Resources:
Lana McAra’s website: http://LanaMcAra.com LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/lanamcara Facebook: https://facebook.com/lana.mcara2 Instagram: https://instagram.com/lanamcara2 X (formerly Twitter): https://www.twitter.com/lanamcara
Invitation from Lori:
Now if, like Lana, you find yourself discovering that the life you think is real has turned out to be a...
Family trauma and drama flow through generations and can take on a form of fiction around “family unity,” “handed down traditions,” and “that’s the way it is” that sweep the suffering under the rug. But two things can happen.
Either you’ll find yourself in pain from stepping on the lumps of dirt under the rug, or the rug will slip and slide due to the dirt making it less sticky to the floor – either way, you could fall when you least expect it.
This need to create narratives could be part of why Lana McAra became a published fiction author, a coach and mentor to fiction writers, and host of an acclaimed podcast that delves deep into the ins and outs of fiction novel writing.
Lana was raised in a conservative environment as the oldest of five children of a hospital handyman and a housewife. They lived in Amish country and belonged to a Mennonite community. Rustic, yes – however everything looked fine.
But Fine is a 4-Letter Word – and the contradictions were just beginning.
Her father seemed to be a pillar of integrity who upheld traditional values, while her mother was a rebel who didn’t wear her bonnet or stockings and therefore “scandalized” the entire family. Eventually, her mother filed for divorce, her father moved to the opposite side of the country, and not even two weeks after the divorce, her mother married a volatile and abusive man.
As de facto parent to her four younger siblings, Lana created the narrative that their father, who had become a successful tradesman in his new life, was the example they should follow – even though he had completely abandoned them.
So much for moral rectitude from both parents, huh?
Lana went to college with the intention of breaking free and blazing her own trail… only to almost immediately meet, and soon marry, a man who had the same hypocritical character and controlling manner her father did.
Lana and her husband became missionaries, traveling to different countries like Grenada where her husband’s efforts to control her didn’t fly with the culture. It was a culture shock to come back to the United States and learn it all again.
In the meantime, just as she had been the sole caretaker as a teenager for her four siblings, she now became this for her seven children, all while pursuing her lifelong passion for fiction novel writing.
After 30 years, Lana and her husband divorced. Her family relationships unraveled as she formed short-term reunion bonds with her parents before they died. Then she became estranged from her siblings. All of this led to a nervous breakdown.
The fiction stories she had written all fell apart – but then she met someone at a conference who led her toward literally tapping the depths of her trauma.
You’re about to meet Lana and discover the very real new story she is penning!
Lana’s hype song is "You Don't Mess Around with Jim” by Jim Croce.
Resources:
Lana McAra’s website: http://LanaMcAra.com LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/lanamcara Facebook: https://facebook.com/lana.mcara2 Instagram: https://instagram.com/lanamcara2 X (formerly Twitter): https://www.twitter.com/lanamcara
Invitation from Lori:
Now if, like Lana, you find yourself discovering that the life you think is real has turned out to be a...
52 min