How to mine your life for writing material (1)
In this occasional series I will explore and describe the way I mine emotional material from the depths of my sadnesses, the heights of my joys, and the plains of my everydays.
Meet my friend Jacob!
It’s 8am here. The builders will be here in an hour or so, and Jake won’t like them. They will probably think he’s the most beautiful dog they’ve ever seen, but they’ll be very wary of him because he’ll be in full-on Protector Of The Family Home mode.
He really is beautiful in every way: intelligence and stature and coat and personality. His is the loveliest nature of any creature I’ve ever known. Under normal circumstances he is interested in strangers and cautiously friendly towards them. But he’s also very territorial, and when strangers come to the house they feel the power of his presence.
When the gang of builders start ripping our old kitchen out this morning, he won’t be friendly.
Jake is very wolflike. He’s the fourth German Shepherd to be part of our family over the years, and he is definitely the most wolflike of them all. British police dog-handlers call their German Shepherds “land sharks”, and I suppose that’s a suitably macho nickname for a macho environment, but there’s never been any need for anyone to dream up some superhero nickname for Jake. He’s our wolf and we’re his pack.
This strong pack instinct is what makes GSDs such superb candidates for policing and military roles. Specifically, it’s their intelligence and strength of character, married with their eager determination to please senior pack members. Not to mention their teeth!
Living with Jake is the nearest thing I’ve ever experienced to living with a wolf. And he gives me a wealth of excellent material for my werewolf novel, Quarter Square.
Hmm, let’s see if we can write some nervous builders into QS. 
Okay, your turn. Do you mine your life for writing material? How does that work out? How deep do you go?
rgoodchild said,
July 23, 2008 at 9:18 am
Personally I think the only way we CAN write is by mining our own lives, and the lives of the people around us.
We create out of what we understand, or at the very least are trying to understand. It’s no different than a child who is drawing a picture of the way they see their family, or how they picture themselves with their friends.
We all just rework the lessons life is teaching us and weave them into a story somehow.
David Bridger said,
July 23, 2008 at 9:27 am
I think some writers have to learn how to use their own lives and experiences. I feel the same way you do about this, but I know some find it a scary thing to lay themselves wide open.
Rebecca Laffar-Smith said,
July 23, 2008 at 10:44 am
I think a lot of people begin writing entirely within their own heads. They end up with Mary-Jane’s, characters that are more a reflection of how they think and feel then they could ever have imagined. As we grow as writers we learn to take from the lives around us as well as our own. Any situation becomes something that could offer a nuance to our story in some way.
It’s important for writers to experience new situations and explore opportunities because it’s in living life that we fill our writer’s well.
I love how you’re using the chaos around you to explore your writing, David!
David Bridger said,
July 23, 2008 at 10:58 am
Yes, a lot of people do that. But I think a lot of other people only ever write directly from their imaginations, fearful of the cold if they expose anything of themselves. That can be another route into writing a Mary Sue.
My ideal mindset is to engage my imagination fully while feeding it from every source available to me, including my own experiences and emotions.
Hope Wilbanks said,
July 23, 2008 at 4:46 pm
I used to mine my life for writing material a lot before my youngest child was born. Since him, I haven’t seemed to be able to “go there” as much. My life has changed tremendously in the last 4 years, too, which I think has attributed to this as well. Life writing definitely touches people more, in my experience.
David Bridger said,
July 23, 2008 at 4:53 pm
We go through changes, don’t we? In life and in writing. There’s a season for everything.
Beating Writers Block And Mining Your Life For Writing Material said,
July 24, 2008 at 1:18 pm
[...] David Bridger recently wrote post about mining your life for writing material. [...]
Dawn said,
July 24, 2008 at 8:24 pm
David – I love your Jake. I grew up with shepards, and boy to do I miss having one. They are special animals to be sure. And I do write from my life, small elements. Parenting has affected me the most. It’s also made me appreicate my own parents more. I have a short story making the submission rounds right now about the sacrifices a father will make for his children. It’s exactly where my own father would be in a similiar situation. I gave him a copy for Father’s Day last year, but I’d like to present him with the published version someday. . .
David Bridger said,
July 24, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Hi Dawn. They’re wonderful companions, aren’t they?
Your published story will be a fantastic gift for your father. I hope you can do that very soon.