Do You Really Need More Life Experience to Start Writing? | Ep 68

Buildwriting

In this episode, I tackle the question of whether you need more life experience to start writing. I argue that writing itself is a form of experience, allowing you to create unique perspectives and stories regardless of your age or background. It’s important to use what you have to make the ordinary interesting through twists, surprises, and conflicts. I suggest keeping a daily journal, conducting research and interviews, and focusing on emotional truth over just factual experiences. Your challenge is to write a short story or essay based on the most mundane part of your day.

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Takeaways

Writing itself is a form of experience and can be used to create unique perspectives and stories.

Use what you have to create what you want and make the ordinary interesting through twists, surprises, and conflicts.

Keep a daily journal to find significance in everyday moments and trigger memories.

Conduct research and interviews to expand your knowledge base and gain new perspectives.

Focus on emotional truth rather than just factual experiences in your writing.

Sound Bites

"Do you really need more life experience to start writing?"

"Writing itself is a form of experience."

"Use what you have to create what you want."

Chapters

00:00 Do You Really Need More Life Experience to Start Writing?

01:11 Using Fiction to Create Life Experiences

02:45 The Power of Storytelling in Making Mundane Experiences Interesting

05:29 Practical Advice for Writers: Journaling, Research, and Emotional Truth

07:35 Finding the Extraordinary in the Ordinary: A Writing Challenge