Friday, October 1, 2010

Oh the Places You've Been!

Yeah, I copied and twisted that title from Dr. Seuss. I admit it. Had to be done after Wednesday’s post.

So question. When you go somewhere new, do you wander around considering it as a story setting? Or when you meet a particularly interesting person, do you study them for use with character traits, or accents or other things?

Wait, why am I asking? Of course you do. Even people who aren’t writers study places and people in this way. Maybe not in quite such an observant manner (which is too bad, if you ask me) but still. We pay attention to the things that interest us, right? Because, well, if we aren’t interested, we don’t notice. Yeah. Logic.

Which leads to another question. How much do your life experiences—the places you’ve been, things you’ve done, people you’ve met—color or inspire your creative endeavors? (Aka writing, painting, music, crafting, sewing, decorating—whatever.)

There is no right or wrong answer here. I’m just curious. Because, you know, I’m a writer and writers are perhaps the most curious bunch of people on the planet—including five-year-olds.

Given my recent experiences, does it stand to reason that someday I’ll write about an extended road trip? Yeah. Probably. Seems like a good idea for some far-off-distant day. Would you? Could you? Do you?

Would you eat green eggs and ham? Or would you hate them, Sam-I-Am?

4 comments:

Christine Fonseca said...

Dude! That is one of my all time FAV books! and yes, I think our expereinces absolutely define us.

Great post.

Bast said...

I just finished a YA paranormal featuring ghosts. Most of the experiences the MC has in that novel come from my own ghost experiences. The grandmother in the novel also relays a ghost experience -- the same experience my grandmother told me about.

The MC's friend in that book was inspired by one of my students.

A dream I had became the first chapter of my first book.

And ... I guess I'd eat green eggs and ham.

Carolyn V. said...

I think we all add a little of the backgrounds and places we've been in some aspect in our writing. I think I do.

Windy Aphayrath said...

I've been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to see things / go places I wouldn't have had a chance to thanks to my day job and YES, everywhere I go is a potential setting. Everyone I meet is a potential character. Everything that happens is a potential plot point.

Inspiration. It's all around.

And green eggs and ham? I would eat them, Sam I am.