It’s All About Me
Okay, let’s just get this out there: Everything I write is autobiographical. I’m not going to tell the lie I learned in my graduate school writing workshops. I don’t make all this stuff up. Not really.
Well, I mean, of course I make it up. But what I’ve been noticing more and more is the things I write that are at least semi-autobiographical (ie: the characters in them are recognizably me/my family/friends/pets) are the only ones that get published/win prizes. So, sure, I’ve written some cute little stories about bears sailing boats in a regatta, which were unbearably bad, and a few other similar things that will stay moored to my hard drive forever.
Bringing a writer into the world? That’s a fear parents don’t have, but they should. That their children will someday grow up to be writers who love their parents so much they want to immortalize them forever in print (yeah, that’s the angle!), or love writing and being published so much they don’t really care how Mom or Dad feel about it (um, that’s probably closer to the truth).
On that note, here’s this week’s publications: Check out Skirt! magazine, the new essays section. Mine is called Coming Out of the Craft Closet. Also, The Hole Story is out in this month’s issue of Texas Co-op Power, just open the .pdf file to page 25.
Who knew my life was this interesting? Now off to do laundry. (Okay, I’m probably just going to read the Al Capone Does My Shirts book, but it’s laundry-related, right?)
10/01/2009 at 9:01 pm
It’s interesting you should choose this topic. Up until about a month ago, I used very little of my own life and characteristics in my writing. The main character in the current novel I’m shopping is nothing like me. One might say she’s a “me” I’d like to try out for a few days–strong, powerful, deadly, athletic, self-confident, sarcastic. Okay, I AM sarcastic, but otherwise, we aren’t much alike.
However, the current novel I’m working on features a main character who IS me, or at least is derived almost entirely from my own personality and background. Her parents are my parents. Her fears and weaknesses are mine. Things are exaggerated or minimized to fit the needs of the plot, but essentially I’m taking a great deal from personal experience. It’s a very different approach for me. I have to admit, I’m enjoying the writing. It’s coming pretty easily. My hope is that readers will connect better with this character since she’s more realistic.
Time will tell.
10/02/2009 at 2:20 am
Good luck on the new novel, Lisa. It will be interesting to see what happens.
Is your WIP a S/F or other?
10/02/2009 at 9:31 pm
This one is science fiction/romance. That’s a new venue for me. My mentor writes it, as does another author who has read my work. I’ve read a great deal in the genre. It’s niche and gaining a following. I’ve just never seen myself as capable of writing it. But, I had this dream . . . and woke up with the entire novel in my head. I’m three chapters in. We’ll see how it goes.