You’ve probably heard a writer say, “write what you know.”
There’s good reason for that. You can imagine all sorts of situations, characters and plots but the ones that always ring true are based on what a writer has personally experienced. This connection gives authenticity to a story, a true feeling that cannot be replicated by something totally based on imagination.
In the photo above, I am dressed in a fairy gown and cape, holding a “magic” wand and being escorted by Santa Clause to greet hundreds of children in my role as Snowflake the Christmas Fairy. I was a junior in high school at the time. So how did I land the role of the season? I was drafted!
My mother owned an advertising agency and created the Snowflake character as a holiday promotion for a major department store. It was my job to greet children, listen to their gift wishes and touch them on the head with my wand, which lit up when I pushed a button. You can imagine the fun.
So how does that impact my writing? One day soon, that experience will be incorporated into a story. I know it will…because I am writing a 17-chapter promotional story for a daily newspaper focusing on this very experience. A reluctant Snowflake with stage fright gets a helping hand from a handful of pixies to make Christmas wishes come true. It will be published in the Beloit Daily News (Wisconsin) from Dec. 1 through 24.
So, treasure those experiences you might want to forget… someday, they just might turn up to be the perfect plot for a story or book!