Real life includes a compilation of good and bad stories. I mentioned before that this time of year, the cold and gloomy months, are when a lot of people decide to go be with family that have passed on. My grandmother left to be with her husband and eldest son recently, which has allowed me to learn about and remember her life. She was absolutely incredible, and I was reminded of how much I want to be like her.
What I Remember
The real stories shared, told about who she was, but were also very entertaining! From building airplanes for World War II, to remodeling parts of her home, to writing funny stories about life on the farm, my grandma had quite the adventure!
I also thought about my grandfathers who have both passed on and what they have taught me with their lives. Others have also impacted my life with their stories even though they aren’t on the earth anymore. I love stories, and I’ve always believed that they make an impact. My favorite is fantasy, but right now I want to emphasize the power and impact of real-life stories.
My grandma had a plethora of skills. She involved me and my cousins in many of her projects including tiling her breezeway and counters, crocheting, woodworking, and reading. This taught me about resiliency in learning new things, having courage to try daunting tasks, and determination to finish things. These are principles that can be, and are, taught through stories in books.
Writing from Real Stories
Often, the most interesting, and seemingly unbelievable, details of a story were actually taken from real-life examples. Writers base characters off of people they know, and use experiences from life to inspire events in a story. A Pakistani author especially focuses on writing stories using real-life experiences that he collects from friends.
An age-old piece of advice is to write what you know. So, why not use life experiences to inspire your writing? Not only is this an easy resource for inspiration, but they are unique to the individual while also being applicable to the general. An event that you experienced personally, or experiences from your loved ones can be equally inspiring and powerful to you. That is what is important about a story.
I am grateful for the influence and experiences my grandparents have brought into my life. Their stories will continue to impact what I learn, do, and write. I know I will be writing about what I’ve learned from them, and I imagine others have the same kind of influences in their lives. Write about a real story, it can be fictionalized, but take a real-life element to inspire and develop an idea and story. Love the people around you and learn from all the stories you encounter!
