I’m quite dumb at times when I’m watching a movie or reading a book, even listening to music because I rarely see the hidden messages that are worked into what we consume.  The whole idea of making a story a metaphor used to be something that I didn’t think much about.  I am very much what you see is what you get, or so I thought.  A lot of what I’ve been thinking about with fiction lately is finding that hidden meaning in not only in what I read but also what I write, and have I put this sort of thing into my work before without knowing it?  Surely that is only natural though?  What we write is fueled by what we encounter as our lives are carried out day by day.  I’ve heard many writers say that you should ‘write what you know’  I used to think that meant literally but then how would H.G. Wells know what a martian would look like?  It’s what each day gives us that allows us to ‘write what we know’

I struggled with some of the ‘Writing what you know’ because up until a few years ago I hid away from the world and had led a very sheltered life but now I have experienced life a little more.  Like everyone I’ve been betrayed, had my heart-broken and so on and this is what fuels writing.  It’s using what we’ve felt and putting it into characters to give them that  feel that gives real depth.  Most of my short stories have been character driven which means I need to have them invoke a reaction with the reader.  There needs to be a desire to find out what happens to the characters.  The reader needs to care one way or another what happens.  The best moment I had last year, as far as writing goes, was when my lovely proof reader said that one of my stories ‘Choked her up’ 😀  I still think that the story she was referring to is the best thing that I have written, but I’m reluctant to send it out for submission just yet because it is part of a tied universe with other stories and I have a few  continuity issues to deal with.    I might have a little play with that universe while I’m having a breather from my main project, it’s been a while since I’ve looked at it.

(Its late and I’ve not proof read this so feel free to point out the errors 😛 )