In a televised interview, a child actor was asked how he managed to shed realistic-looking tears on cue for the camera. His technique was simple: "I think about the time my dog died." By tapping into the deep, personal trauma he had experienced in his short life, this little boy effectively portrayed similar emotions for his fictional character.
To a degree, writers can use a parallel trick. In order to construct realistic beings with which to populate their stories, they can find fertile loam for the imagination right in their own experienced-filled past. Need a setting for your tale? The place where you live right now might not be suitable, but a city where you once lived, attended college, or visited while on vacation might be perfect. Does your character need a hobby, a job, or a favorite sport? Sure, you can research, but first pause and consider whether one of these can be resurrected from your own past. For instance, halfway through my college career, I spent a sweaty summer working on the assembly line at Plant #5 for General Motors in Pontiac, Michigan. Later, when I needed a workplace for a man in one of my short stories, I drew upon that experience and employed my character in an auto factory with perfect, first-hand knowledge.
Does your current story include feelings of frustration? Of being overwhelmed? Of panic, or even sheer terror? Often, you can bring these moments alive for your reader simply by reliving your own past and imagining once again the angst, the drops of sweat, the shortness of breath, the heightened awareness, or other equally appropriate memories that can be copied and pasted from your private storehouse of experiences.
But just one word of caution: Don't talk to others about how you're mining your personal past in order to gild your stories. If you do, they'll wonder if perhaps that cranky, egotistic neighbor in your novel might be a reflection of them...
How about you? Have you found yourself snipping portions of your own persona and sneaking them into your stories? Care to share how that has (or hasn't) worked for you?
To a degree, writers can use a parallel trick. In order to construct realistic beings with which to populate their stories, they can find fertile loam for the imagination right in their own experienced-filled past. Need a setting for your tale? The place where you live right now might not be suitable, but a city where you once lived, attended college, or visited while on vacation might be perfect. Does your character need a hobby, a job, or a favorite sport? Sure, you can research, but first pause and consider whether one of these can be resurrected from your own past. For instance, halfway through my college career, I spent a sweaty summer working on the assembly line at Plant #5 for General Motors in Pontiac, Michigan. Later, when I needed a workplace for a man in one of my short stories, I drew upon that experience and employed my character in an auto factory with perfect, first-hand knowledge.
Does your current story include feelings of frustration? Of being overwhelmed? Of panic, or even sheer terror? Often, you can bring these moments alive for your reader simply by reliving your own past and imagining once again the angst, the drops of sweat, the shortness of breath, the heightened awareness, or other equally appropriate memories that can be copied and pasted from your private storehouse of experiences.
But just one word of caution: Don't talk to others about how you're mining your personal past in order to gild your stories. If you do, they'll wonder if perhaps that cranky, egotistic neighbor in your novel might be a reflection of them...
How about you? Have you found yourself snipping portions of your own persona and sneaking them into your stories? Care to share how that has (or hasn't) worked for you?
Great Post Rick. Great checklist...
ReplyDeleteLet me put two of your sentences together. First, you write, "Don't talk to others about how you're mining your personal past in order to gild your stories." Then, you close with, "Have you found yourself snipping portions of your own persona and sneaking them into your stories? Care to share how that has (or hasn't) worked for you?" You tell us not to talk to others, and then ask us to? LOL
ReplyDeleteI'll take that challenge. My wife and I don't have a dog, but some of my characters do. I decided that the breeds they have are ones I am interested in, so I'm researching something I want to.
I also have stuck my favorite coffee house (with the owner's blessing) in my stories.
Jeff