Tips on writing- 2

           In this blog I would like to discuss about stories that are born out of personal experiences. Those who face difficulty in writing fiction stories and feel they have limited imagination can always rely on personal experiences and strong memories to write a story. Just remember something that happened to you and weave a story around it. This Holi I remembered a small incident that took place when I was hardly four years. I had a friend who was a girl of my age. We both took pichkari filled it with colored water and decided that we will drench the dogs, cows that come nearby since that way we are safe. After sometime my friend in her enthusiasm put the water on me. I was furious. Realizing my anger, my friend put some of the water on herself and giggled. That act of hers cooled me down. Later in my life I remember this incident whenever there are riots because of communal intolerance.

         Now go back and think of those moments that gave you happiness and those moments that gave you anguish. These two experiences make wonderful base for stories which every reader can relate to. When was I most happy? This happiness comes when you experience something nice or good for the first time. So let’s remember the first time you got a gift, you got praise, you got a prize, you climbed a tree or a mountain, you saw the sea, you rode the horse, you rode a bicycle, you went to a zoo, you traveled on a train or plane, you sat on a giant wheel, your visit to the village or city. These are happy moments of your childhood which should be stored, cherished and shared. As adult remember your first date, the first appointment, first vehicle you bought, the promotion, marriage, the birth of a child, a trip you enjoyed, a surprise visit, antic of a pet, the innocent babble of a child, meeting a long lost friend etc.

         Again there are moments when we felt unhappy and miserable. In fact we would like to erase the memory of such moments. But then they refuse to die down. You may not even like to share these memories with the readers. But then there is not one person in the world who has not faced anguish and unhappiness. When you write about your own unhappiness, the reader after reading the article says, “Yes there is someone who understands my struggles”. Every sad situation, every tragedy and every hardship brings a change in you. This change helps you to tackle the situations that are the cause of your unhappiness. And when you write about your sorrow you look at it with a new angle and get a new insight into what happened, how it happened and why it happened. Some of the sorrows you can write about are – my first fight, the wrong step, the loss of friendship, the mistrust, the jealousy that came in-between, the death of a near one, the separation, lost your job, an accident, how you were cheated, the affair, ill-health, the punishment you didn’t deserve and many more.

         Sometimes we are just an observer of the things that happen to others. Some experiences are not directly connected to us. But somehow we are affected either in thought or otherwise. Your thoughts and feelings about the incident as an outsider can be woven into a story. A news item, a movie scene, a child who is hurt, an accident, your friend’s achievement or loss, a fight in the neighborhood can give you material for writing non-fiction and even fiction.

        After attending the writer’s workshop I realized that I am good at writing personal experience stories. So far whatever I have written for magazines is mostly based on my personal experiences. When writing such stories one can use fictional names and make small changes so that identity of people who are involved is not revealed. Tinkle, a popular comic magazine for children have a section known as “It happened to me”. The children write about funny incidents that happened to them. It is very interesting to read that section. Four years back an unpleasant incident took place where I was working. I quit the job. For six months I was in anguish. But then I had sudden realization. Today I am a freelance writer and a resource person teaching soft skills to students. I am happy. One day you will read my blog in which I will tell you all about my personal unpleasant experience and how I came out of it. Until then, good luck for budding writers.

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