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Lately I’ve been searching a lot for story ideas (NaNoWriMo, anyone? XD ) and during my thoughts while sprawled on the floor, I was thinking of the experiences I’ve had in life that I could incorporate into my writing. Here are a few examples:

1. When my step grandpa passed away, it was the hardest thing I’ve been through. It was hard to see him so frail and eventually gone. It affected me in a not good way. I’ve had countless dreams where I am reliving that night and I start bawling. It was a hard thing and obviously, very sad. But when I think about it, that experience can help me in my writing. I know now what it’s like to go through something like that, so, as sad as it is, I could write I realistic death scene.

2. I’ve been going through another hard time lately with my brother about to move out and get married. I’ve found myself crying a lot lately, but I’m trying to focus on being happy for him instead of feeling sorry for myself. This could work in a book also.

3. When my sister got married, I found myself actually feeling jealous and a little upset with my brother in-law because he was taking her away from us. Again, I’ve found myself going through some similar feelings with my brother’s marriage about to take place. I know it’s wrong, but it’s hard to let go of someone you love.

So those are just a few things that I could not only use, but the fact that I experienced those things first hand will help me to make them realistic and just feel – well – real. XD

Maybe you’ve experienced a terrible earthquake or tornado and your city went through a lot of damage – use it!

Maybe your family went through a rough patch in life financially and had to economize – write it!

Maybe you had to suddenly pack up and move out to some strange part of the world – use it!

Your experiences can help not only to make scenes insanely realistic, but to inspire your writing, too. When you’re having writer’s block, go through that door in your brain full of life experiences. Even though they may seem boring or just like – that’s not exciting – you can always make them more dramatic or create a whole different reason for why your characters are going through that. The whole point is to get inspired and to use your experiences to add those realistic feelings that will touch your readers heart.

Have you used your personal experiences in life in your writing before?

Love,
~Fluffet~

15 Responses to Use Your Experiences!

  • I honestly don’t remember my first grandpa’s death much, I was 7, but it still had significant impact, and with my other set of grandparents death I went through that — just crying in the middle of the night.
    It’s such a seriously needed thing for at least some people — writing a story about it, with all the pain and sadness, can help to not exactly get over, (how do you get over a death? Even if there were a huge earthquake, but no one got hurt and no one lost anything, it could be a TERRIFYING experience and have lasting impact) but at least help to recover from that experience, along with being able to make a great story.

  • Great post! You’re totally right-it is so much easier to write about what I know and feel than something I have never experienced!

    -Kathryn

  • Just this week I was given an assignment for school to write a short story titled “The Accident” – I wrote about the time I had tonsillitis and my mom made cinnamon milk for me, but she accidentally put curry in it instead of cinnamon! I couldn’t taste very well, but I knew something was wrong, but she wouldn’t listen to me and insisted that I finish it. Then my dad came downstairs and checked the cinnamon jar she had used, and noticed that under the original label, someone had written in pen: “Mild Curry Powder”! So I’d drunk a whole cup of nice, warm, curried milk! XD

  • This is such a good idea! I’ve been trying to think up an idea for Nanowrimo and have so far been utterly unsccessful. I haven’t ever used personal experiences in writing a story but I think it’s a great idea 😀

    • Thanks, Rebekah! I know how you’re feeling…. I was falling into depression cause I couldn’t think of a story idea for NaNo…. I hope you think of something soon! I’d be happy to help out if you need it! :)
      ~Fluffet~

  • Ooh!! Great ideas, Jaclyn!!! 😀

    <3 Anika | anikasavenue.com

  • That is certainly true, and I want to go a bit farther. I totally agree that any weird/sad, even happy experiences are magnificent for writing realistically. I also think that doing something else with your life (besides writing fiction books) help you immensely with the ‘experience’ factor. I know eventually, I want to write books. And I will do that currently, too. But you can’t write good books if you don’t have good experiences to think, ‘Oh, I know how that works,’ or, ‘I can create a scene where this happens, because I know that it can happen this way.’

    CutePolarBear

  • I’m writing about my great-grandpa. it’s going to be… different!

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Hi, I’m Jaclynn!

I'm a crazy writer, fangirl, donut-loving teen with an obsession for BB-8. I hope you stay and visit a while :) Learn more about me by clicking the picture above!
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