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No two lives are similar; in this sense, everyone’s experiences should be unique and interesting to others. This is why stories from experiences will remain popular.
Writing stories is taxing.
Authors need to have a strong sense of the language they’re utilizing, a decent and exciting story, and scenes or chapters to piece everything together. Writing stories is taxing because there are a lot of factors to consider and weigh. Authors’ decisions can influence how their story progresses and how interesting or enjoyable it will be for their readers.
However, despite the difficulty, many individuals take on the challenge.
Unfortunately, this causes more problems.
After all, more storylines get written with more authors, leaving little to none to those still attempting to create a story. This makes starting authors hesitate to hold a pen and jumpstart the endeavor. While things seem futile before stepping into the challenge, this doesn’t make it impossible. When every theme and idea popping into one’s mind already appears to have a concluded storyline in the market, how can authors continue creating fresh and exciting stories?
Writing Around the Untapped Potential of One’s Life
The storyline is a vital element of every book. It serves as the foundation around which the plot revolves, the concrete stump from which the story branches out and becomes more interesting. As much as it’s crucial, it can also be tricky to establish.
When authors formulate storylines, they usually come up with a summary, a single line encompassing their stories. However, when the intricacies have been removed and the branches are taken out, most stumps look alike, a similarity that causes authors to step back and rethink their decisions. While most plotlines must have been written and concluded, the good news is there will always be new and unused concepts to discuss. An excellent source for these would be personal experience.
Everyone lives in manners different from each other.
One’s experiences differ from another, but they can be grounds for insights and lessons. On the other hand, a particular occasion may also be shared, something another is similarly going through but might have experienced a different outcome. Either way, stories from experiences are among those that are always available and in abundance because their motivations are everywhere.
For instance, most of the books written by Kenny Harmon have been derived from experiences both hers and from her family. She has three titles under her name, proving that stories from experiences may indeed be uncomplicated and easy to produce. All authors have to do is look back on the events and give them flavor, whether through weaving fictional elements.
How Authors Write Stories From Experiences
Writing stories from experiences is an excellent way for authors to continue producing works without running out of inspiration. As every experience has a consequential takeaway, readers will be willing to read and consume them regardless.
But how do authors take these experiences and create stories from them?
Here are ways to remember and consider to make experiences come through in stories:
Utilize Even the Smallest Details
In stories, there is power in the small details. These are where authors can give glimpses, hints, and red herrings for readers to look deeply into. These also allow the latter to connect deeper with the characters and see life from their perspectives. From the descriptions of their surroundings to how the characters are defined, stories come alive by their most minor details.
When authors write stories from their experiences, sharing and explaining the small details is crucial for readers to relate to the experience. These details can also be vital in creating symbolism and transformative meaning for readers.
Not to Center the Story Around the Person
This sounds ironic and may even make the whole premise of writing stories from experiences useless. But this is the only way to make the story intimately from one’s life more relatable. Authors must take these events beyond them and focus more on the lessons or how these can influence others’ lives. They must consider what makes these experiences more appealing, outside their lives and towards a more general perspective.
To achieve this lens, authors can think of what these experiences mean. What have they contributed to life? By basing stories on these points, they become less personal and more inclusive and relatable for any reader.
Consider the Experience’s Source
Stories from experiences may include events, people, or themes that can be sensitive for others. Hence, authors must carefully consider how they would present these to the public. For instance, going back to Kenny Harmon’s stories, although based on her family’s experiences, they still revolve around concepts that may be considered sensitive for others. In tackling these, she ensured to write respectfully around the themes to guarantee that nobody would be offended, avoiding specific details and, perhaps, acquiring permission to write about them.
Stories from experiences may be personal, but authors must focus only on themes they can defend and mentally deal with.
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