Historically, I’ve been prone to undervalue my personal experiences in my fiction writing. Of course, I’ve always assumed they play some type of role in my autobiographical writing, opinion pieces, and personal understanding of how my characters should feel and react to situations. But it was by accident that I stumbled upon the realization that personal experience is vital in creating relatable characters, believable scenes, and compelling prose. I further discovered that my personal experiences will appear on the page, whether or not I intend them to.
I first noticed my life experiences and lessons emerging in my short stories. Once I observed the pattern, I quickly tried leaning into this natural inclination in my writing. Room 246 was the result; this was the first short story where I truly sat with my memories to form a piece of fiction - and I believe that, because of this, it was a much stronger story than any of those I had written previously. I had something to say through that story not because I pulled some watered-down “moral” out of thin air, but because I saw something in the world around me that I felt needed to be addressed.
As I’ve been drafting my first full-length fiction novel, I’ve reread sections only to be shocked at how closely many of the characters resemble people from my life. Their personality traits, their situational and social reactions, even their physical descriptions often center around individuals who I can actually name, despite the fact that this wasn’t at all my intention when I first outlined my characters. As my fictional characters come to life, they often take the shape of real people. Perhaps this is the only reason that they seem to “come to life” at all - because they reflect people who really are alive.
While I’m frequently astonished when I reread a draft and find someone I know or a lesson I’ve learned written into it, I never delete these characters or morals. Instead, I form my story around them. I write to boost their realism and natural aura of authenticity. Although unintentional, these are often the juiciest, most relatable parts of my writing.
What makes personal experience so important in writing, and specifically in fiction?
Characters fueled by an author’s personal experience will typically read as more real and authentic. Even if your character is mostly made-up, adding the traits of real people makes them relatable to readers. People want to understand your characters; they want to relate to who they are and why they think/act the way they do. You give your readers this fulfillment when you rely on elements of personal experience to design your characters.
Morals fueled by your personal experiences are more genuine. What good is a moral if it doesn’t actually help you learn, grow, or reflect on anything? Morals that you yourself have learned are more impactful, evidenced by the simple fact that you remember learning them. These lessons are the ones that readers are searching for.
You often write better when you can envision something real. Now, don’t get me wrong - you can obviously create an incredibly well-described, realistic character that is entirely made up. What I’m saying is, when drafting a character, it may help to envision all their angles - their good qualities and flaws, their wins and losses, the details of their physical appearance. If you include aspects of people from the real world, the design process will be easier (whilst - perhaps ironically - allowing you to produce a personality that is more complex). In doing this, you avoid the weight of creating a whole person from scratch; you can rely on reality to do the heavy lifting and instead focus on adding some of your own flair and pizzazz.
As a relatively young author, I often worry that my life experiences aren’t deep or rich enough to fuel good fiction. I fear that I simply haven’t lived long enough to understand how humans interact, speak, think, and feel, and that if I wait just a few more years, I’ll understand personalities better. Maybe my words will bleed more eloquently onto the page, and my characters will be more realistic and relatable.
What I’ve come to realize, though, is that the changing nature of how I understand people doesn’t undermine the value of my my current views or my up-to-this-point experiences. When I’m 60, my writing will reflect how a 60-year-old in 2061 understands humans. As a 23-year-old, my writing reflects how a 23-year-old in 2024 understands humans. Different isn’t necessarily bad. Frankly, when 2061 comes around, I’ll just have some extra material to work with - and likely different views to share!
Try leaning into your personal experience to make your fiction more believable and authentic for your readers. Don’t be afraid to do so because of your age or background, as there are always readers looking for your unique perspective.
Do you find that your personal experiences bleed into your writing? Do you purposely add your memories, personalities you’ve met, or lessons you’ve learned into your writing?
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