Writing Emergency
It was some time around 2am on Saturday morning, and I was sitting on a hospital bed with a needle in my arm, waiting for a nurse or doctor to return. We were at the emergency room in response to a crisis that turned out to be less life-threatening than I feared but frightening nonetheless. Me, asking to see a doctor. You know something had to be wrong. So, we were sitting there at a calmer moment, and my husband reached into my backpack that he had filled hastily on our way out of the house and pulled out my notebook.
"How are you going to use this one in Ullen's story?" he asked, smiling. This was one of those moments when it became absolutely clear that he is perfect for me. No socks in the bag, but he brought my notebook.
I told him I doubted this particular event would work with that storyline, following a weaponsmith who had fallen on hard times in his pseudo-medieval fantasy world. No, he'll not likely be going to the emergency room any time soon, but the comment does say something about how I (and many others) write. There are bits of my life woven into every story, and in my opinion, those are often the most powerful pieces of the tale. The small things in life, the normal bits, the common tragedies and mundane joys do more to elevate a story than extraordinary turns of plot.
My friend Briana blogged about this same realization, among other observations, back in January.
The common advice to writers to "write what you know" seems useless and boring to writers of adventure, fantasy or genre fiction in general. How many of us have experience at solving a murder case or flying a spaceship? Part of the fun of writing and reading is to explore ideas that aren't part of your mundane experience. But taken less literally, the advice is sound. It's the everyday pieces of life that make your readers feel for your characters. Characters may find themselves in extraordinary circumstances, but it's how they feel and how they react that makes the story. Without the little things, the tale falls flat.
So, though you won't be finding me writing too many stories about the events of my usually unexciting life, you should see reflections of it in all the fantastic events I do relate. Those things I know can be a powerful link to readers who have shared similar experiences. And, who knows, I may yet find a way to work my little crisis into Ullen's travails after all.
"How are you going to use this one in Ullen's story?" he asked, smiling. This was one of those moments when it became absolutely clear that he is perfect for me. No socks in the bag, but he brought my notebook.
I told him I doubted this particular event would work with that storyline, following a weaponsmith who had fallen on hard times in his pseudo-medieval fantasy world. No, he'll not likely be going to the emergency room any time soon, but the comment does say something about how I (and many others) write. There are bits of my life woven into every story, and in my opinion, those are often the most powerful pieces of the tale. The small things in life, the normal bits, the common tragedies and mundane joys do more to elevate a story than extraordinary turns of plot.
My friend Briana blogged about this same realization, among other observations, back in January.
The common advice to writers to "write what you know" seems useless and boring to writers of adventure, fantasy or genre fiction in general. How many of us have experience at solving a murder case or flying a spaceship? Part of the fun of writing and reading is to explore ideas that aren't part of your mundane experience. But taken less literally, the advice is sound. It's the everyday pieces of life that make your readers feel for your characters. Characters may find themselves in extraordinary circumstances, but it's how they feel and how they react that makes the story. Without the little things, the tale falls flat.
So, though you won't be finding me writing too many stories about the events of my usually unexciting life, you should see reflections of it in all the fantastic events I do relate. Those things I know can be a powerful link to readers who have shared similar experiences. And, who knows, I may yet find a way to work my little crisis into Ullen's travails after all.
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