Creative Writing

First of all, I wanted to let everyone who tried to leave a comment the past couple of days, but found a notice that they had to sign up in order to do so, that this option has been removed. It was a minor glitch, and it has been rectified. Things happen sometimes, that are totally beyond our control, but the amazing people behind the scenes here at Today.com have fixed the problem and all is well once again.

Now, on to the business at hand. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know all there is to know about the writing industry. However, I learn something new all the time and as long as I continue to learn, I know I’m on the right path. One thing I’m learning as I go is that the things you experience in your daily life can be used in your quest to become a better, and a more creative, writer.

There’s an old saying that tells you to write what you know. Personally, I believe that if you strive to write about things you’ve got to research, you become a more well-rounded person. But, what I’m getting at here is that a lot of people don’t take into consideration everything they know. Writing what you know, doesn’t just mean writing about what you’re an expert in. It goes much deeper than that.

For me personally, I have a lot of things that I can take into this subject. I’m the child of divorce, I’m a mom, I’ve been a Boy Scout leader for 11 years, and I’ve worked with the public since I was 16 years old. Each of these elements can be used in the “write what you know” topic. Let’s use the Boy Scout experiences as an example.

In Boy Scouts, you need to learn a lot of stuff. First of all, you need to know first aid. It’s not a requirement, but it’s a really good idea. Because of this, I’ve been able to create a few articles about putting together first aid kits, ideas on emergency preparedness, and what to do in case of minor scrapes and burns. In the fiction genre, I can use this to create a mother who has to rescue one of her children or someone else around here. The possibilities are endless.

Another part of my Boy Scout experience is that I spent many years going to Boy Scout camp. This is a week long endeavor, and I learned a lot about myself and what I’m capable of. But more than that, I came up with some killer ideas for short stories. I’m currently working on a romantic story that takes place at a summer camp. No, there are no Scouts in the story. LOL

Take a little time to sit back and reflect on all the experiences you’ve had throughout your life. No matter how mundane they might seem right now, they could be used as fodder for the next great story, or as a way to help someone else out who is looking for answers. If you’re going to write what you know, reach down deep inside and collect all the data you have to work with.