Write What You Know
One of the most difficult problems I faced as a young writer was finding my story. I wanted to tell all about a young person’s experiences and capture life at the high school I went to. I wanted someone else to be able to relate to my experiences and get some sort of personal growth out of my writing. Nearly fifty unfinished and barely started drafts stand as proof that I didn’t quite have the skills to get there at that time.
It has taken Joey and me a long time to figure out how to tell our respective stories. The book that led to the one we’re working on now was a straight up drama based on his family. No offense to Joey, but it was terrible (Joey’s two cents: Yeah, it was pretty craptastic. Rhiannon is actually being nice here). It was page after page of melodrama, which tends to only be interesting to the parties involved. We took those characters, though, and put them into a fantasy world where they came alive in ways we never realized they could.
Everyone says write what you know, which is a great jumping off point. Start with a world you know: dancing, sports, singing, etc. Almost everyone has some sort of quirk or interest that not a lot of people share, which gives you ample opportunity to bestow people with the knowledge you have.
I say start with a well developed character and place them in a pretty terrible situation. See how they would react to the situation: who would they go to, who would they avoid? Would they spaz out or stay calm on the outside? Throwing well developed characters into regular lives is boring, but seeing how they react to chaos makes for a much more interesting story.
Try coming up with a character by thinking of his or her favorites and least favorites, physical and emotional traits, and place in life. Then think of something terrible that has just happened to them. Start writing something based on how they deal with it. It doesn’t have to be a short story, novel, poem, or anything concrete – just start getting ideas down. You might find the story within this exercise, or you may not be interested in what you’ve started. Chances are if it is not interesting to you, the reader will not be interested. So, begin the process again. Writing is a series of trial and error, which can oftentimes be frustrating, but can also yield wonderful, exciting results.
Good luck!
Tags: Writing
On Writing | Rhiannimated | 
2 September 2009 10:43 PM
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