Using Real Life as Writing Fuel

What scene from real life do you need to write? I have a million. But how do I fit them into my fictional stories?

The real life scenes that need to make your story are intricate and personal. Character personalities and problems may not fit into your story. But it still needs to be told. So, here’s how I turn real life into fuel.

1. Add a dash of quirkiness. I love stories that capture the annoying little quirks in life. It gives it a dash of reality and some humor even in my darker stories. In one of my stories, I used a quirk from my summer in Mexico. My cousin’s dog ran away again, and we needed to get her back in the house. But, all the doors were locked. Yes, we were locked in the house. Even with the keys, our hands shook too much to stick the key in the keyhole. When it flung open, my cousin smacked me in the head with the door. Then, we had to unlock the front gate. That dog was long gone by the time we unlocked the front door and gate. Though, I’ve never before written about the escape artist dog, those quirky locked doors have made it into my writing. Just thinking about it, I can feel the tension.
2. Create a realistic plot twist. For instance, my dad and cousin nearly drowned on a beach in Puerto Rico. There was a huge sign that said “No Swimming” and we ignored it. We swam with no issues for an hour until they caught a rip tide. Time seemed to slow as we watched both of them drift farther off the shore. Two surf boarders saved them after what seemed like a century. Afterwards, my dad told us he was looking at a barking dog on a deck across the street. Seriously, dad! That’s what he saw when he was at death’s door. I can’t use that exact scenario, but I have used it as a plot twist in one my stories. I know how it happens, what happens afterwards, and the intense emotions involved. All of that is useable and brings life to a scene.
3. Use the characters. Real life people make great character examples. They’re quirky and have depth. They also do those tiny gestures that give away how they feel. This helps me to create fresh new gestures for my characters. It also helps us to avoid the clichés. The Emotional Thesaurus is amazing for that sort of thing, but lots of people have that book. I can add to those lists by learning to pay attention to the people around me.
4. Create realistic dialogue. Would someone really say that? It’s something I always wonder when writing. I like to write snippets of conversation in a journal. It helps to practice writing interesting dialogue that works and adjust that to fiction. One of my favorite authors sometimes uses arguments with his wife. So, I don’t feel so much like a weirdo doing this.
5. Copy the setting. I use real settings in my books. Why? It’s so much easier to create something I know. There’s no holes in the scene in my mind or incorrect details because I experienced it. I’ve used my experiences climbing waterfalls in the middle of Mexico, my cave experiences in Puerto Rico, and various camps I’ve been to in Michigan. What interesting places have you been? Use it!
6. Learn to pay attention. This is the biggest thing. Before I started writing, I noticed the world around me; and I would say it was beautiful. As a writer, I don’t do that. I start describing what I see. My imagination gets unleashed and wrapped with words. No longer does someone have an angry expression, I pay attention to the lines on a person’s face, the gestures and the words they say. When walking through the woods, I come up with prose for each sound, scent, feeling and create metaphors. All of this helps me when I sit in front of my laptop and write.  

Even better yet, writing these scenes helps me to relive experiences. I might never go back to the rugid forests in Mexico, but I sure can keep the memory alive. That includes people too.

There’s so many ways to use real life in our writing. I write fantasy so my worlds have magic, strange beings and impossible situations. Yet, all my experiences fuel my writing. There are so many scenes I wish I knew how to fit into my stories.

Like the time my boyfriend (now husband) met my extended family. I had all sorts of ideas about what they would be sizing-up about him. He managed to impress them with his taco preparing and eating ability. I never imagined that would be his ticket into my extended family. Now, all I need to do is fit that into a scene.

What real-life scene do you need to fit into a fictional story?