What Doesn’t Kill You, Makes You... A Stronger Writer

BOOM!

That’s what I heard while enjoying an episode of Full House in my basement.

After heading upstairs to see what the hell was going on, I noticed the living room curtains waving in the autumn breeze… and glass shards scattered across the floor.

That’s when it hit me, someone had just shot out my windows with a high-powered firearm – in the very room I was standing just moments before.

As a young teen, I didn’t quite understand the weight of this event, at least not in that moment. To be honest I wasn’t scared, nervous or even anxious. 

You see, growing up in Detroit – something like this was not an anomaly. In fact, I’d seen violence like this before (up close and personal). But still never… thisclose.

The police called it a case of the “wrong house.” The shooter(s) was apparently after the guy two houses down who was known to be into some shady shit.

But years later, that incident (among others) started to affect me. I’m talking nightmares, worry, you name it. Because seriously, I could’ve fucking died!

I guess it’s normal to wonder why I had to go through such a traumatizing ordeal. I mean surviving the shooting, parental divorce, losing siblings, home invasion, open heart surgery, mini-stroke, blah blah blah – it all has to serve a purpose, write?

And no, that “write” was not a typo.

You see, it wasn’t until I started writing fiction that I was able to put all this “experience” to good use.

Hear me out --

I’m sure we’ve all read something where the emotional accuracy of a situation just didn’t ring true. Or the aftermath of said situation failed to hit the mark, whether from a character’s action or from their dialogue. Let’s be honest, it can be a total letdown.

As a writer, it is job #1 to write in a convincing, visceral way. And whether you know it or not, we all have the scars to pull it off.

But here’s the thing, you can’t be scurred.

Don’t be afraid to use your most horrific experiences to draw on… even if you’re typing away in a posh coffee shop. 

Think of the time you were homeless… even while you’re writing in front of a fireplace.

And the wound doesn’t have to be that extreme. As long as it caused some sort of discomfort – either physically or psychologically… nothing is off the table.

Here’s a few tricks that can help CHANNEL THE HURT (and this works even if your scene doesn’t directly relate to the hurt):

1.   While writing your scene, plug in whatever emotion you had (through action, dialogue) during your personal experience. Then in subsequent drafts of the scene, strip away whatever doesn’t fit character traits, dialogue. You will be surprised at how much will actually stay and work.

2.   While writing your scene, think about how you feel about your past personal experience now. See if these emotions help spark an idea that could work for the characters in your scene.

3.   Listen to movie scores you think could play over your personal experience. Then listen to the same score while writing your scene. This exercise can not only set the mood, but it is a powerful tool for letting emotional accuracy spill over into the writing.

So again, channel-the-hurt. 

It’s these moments that will set you apart from other writers who are simply phoning it in.

And remember, the next time tragedy strikes... and after you’ve picked up the pieces –

Pick up your pen.