Stand Out by Using Your Life as Fuel
There are a lot of writers in this business. So naturally, it’s helpful to figure out what makes you stand out in order to break in -- your unique POV as a writer. But what does that mean, exactly? A great way to do this is to use your life experiences as fuel. This helps you create authentic, compelling, and underrepresented stories. Your perspective -- your “thing” -- can also come in handy when you're introducing yourself as a writer, whether it's in a general meeting or in a pitch. It makes you you.
For example, did you grow up on a rural farm? Cool! You have a POV that someone who grew up in a big city might not have. Do you have a day job in a specific field? Do you work as a lawyer by day? A teacher? Awesome. And it doesn’t have to be a specific or uncommon job. If you work in a convenience store, someone may have never viewed the world from that perspective before. (For example, the movie, Clerks.) Your life experiences give your audience a unique worldview that otherwise they might not have thought about or have had access to.
This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to write about your specific life circumstances or jobs. Rather, focus on your emotional truth. We often hear, “write what you know.” While this is good advice, to get more specific, write what you know emotionally. For example, if you grew up as one of three siblings, you might see the world very differently compared to someone who grew up as an only child. Did you wish you had more space as a kid? Are you closer to one sibling than the other? There's a lot to explore there! This will help you create characters who might go through similar things as you emotionally, but not necessarily be in the same circumstances.
For inspiration, here are some writers who’ve infused their own life into their stories:
Past Lives
Writer and director Celine Song was inspired to write her film, Past Lives, based on a real-life experience. One day she was sitting in a bar with her childhood sweetheart from Korea and her American husband. This made her think about exploring different stages of her own life, immigration, love, and "what could have been.” So you may not be from South Korea, but these feelings are relatable.
Sex Lives of College Girls
Mindy Kaling’s Sex Lives of College Girls follows four college roommates. One of them, Bela, is self-deprecating and boy-obsessed, and is loosely inspired by Kaling’s own college experiences. As an Indian-American student trying to break into the male-dominated comedy scene on campus, Kaling was able to draw from her own life.
Roma
The film, Roma, is based on writer/director Alfonso Cuarón’s childhood growing up in Mexico in the 1970s. Piecing together real childhood memories with his nanny who helped raise him and his siblings, Cuarón created a semi-autographical film shot in the neighborhood where he grew up.
Mining emotional truth from your own life can show the audience a specific, authentic, and unique perspective.
-1.jpeg?width=520&upscale=true&name=Zak%20Schwartz%20(bw)-1.jpeg)
