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Singing from Silence Rich Mullins
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Author Interviews: Writing from Memory
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How is it possible to write stories (fiction, of course) without drawing from experience? Every good yarn needs a foundation in plausibility, whether the writer is building a utopian society gone sour or a simple tale of a household ghost. I have tried to write pure fiction and it's not possible. My hard drive is littered with the detritus of abandoned plots, all beautifully written and dead by chapter twenty.The human imagination is incapable of creation. It's a library of personal tragedies, fresh loves, and mis-remembered snippets from inconsequential conversations waiting to be brought back to life in a different context.
You should have no trouble finding authors who put a bit of themselves into their stories. Getting them to talk about it, however, is probably more challenging.
Good luck. Please forgive the hijack.
Jon
Author Behaving Badly
Jon, I agree with what you say. Our experiences and memories will certainly affect our writing, how can they not? But I think these interviews focus on writers who specifically take memories/experiences and write about them.I write fantasy and I don't think about my experiences while I'm writing, but when I look back at what I wrote, I can definitely go, "I know what caused that to be there..." Sometimes I don't even see those things until years later.
Hi, JonDon't worry about the hijack. Your point is well taken. And true enough, we do tend to write about what we know, yet it is challenging for some of us to be clear with the public about where our real lives begin and end. If you've never made it clear how much of you is in your story, this is your chance to come clean! I believe we share something of real value when we tell our real story. So I try to treat authors with the respect their life story deserves.
There is no force in God's universe powerful enough to make me reveal what part of me is real and how much is a consequence of exaggeration (my wife would say "lies"... my blood kin would say "damnable lies").Jon
Author Behaving Badly
Hi, JonThere you go. Most authors would probably agree with you. Too much self-revelation --and that may be why I end up with so many memoirists on my blog.
Best,
Pam
Ah, Jon. It has been too, too long since the last time that I have read your spoken word so clean and fresh off the digital, tablet page. Oh! How my heart yearns to hear that devilish, charming voice. (I picture an English accent.) But alas! That is not to be.Anyways, I put a lot of myself into my novel that I am writing right now. It is purely fiction and that's how it will stay. My life will remain as much of a mystery as I want it to be.
Hannah ~ The Social Butterfly
Hannah, my little pen-palindrome, we meet again. Lately it seems I bump into you everywhere I go. Must I call Security?
Jon
Author Behaving Badly
Not everywhere Jon. I believe that would be exaggeration and a bit too much flattery on your part. Perhaps security should be involved, but I would rather think they would take the side of the woman than the man, nit like I would tell lies though. I would just say it's a coincidence that we meet everywhere in this group. We are both members; however, it would indeed be creepy if I started to show up in other areas of your life. Then and only then, would your wife have something to worty about. It's not like your Hugh Laurie.......right?Hannah ~ The Social Butterfly
Here's a link:
http://www.seedsborntolight.candletot...
We are currently focussing on authors who include or rely on personal memories and experiences in their work. Please send a line by pm if you'd like an interview and can tell us how you use personal experiences in your writing!