Turning Fears Into Story Themes

I made a list of my greatest fears today, because writing about what you’re most afraid of can add so much depth to your stories.

I think that’s the kind of stuff the professionals mean when they say “write what you know”. It’s not them saying that you can’t write about vampires or elves or wizards. They’re saying that you should make those fantastical things feel real by adding what you know from your personal life experiences on top of that.

I’m afraid of sea cave corpses, falling, the...