Past Lives and Our Writing

[Tom Bridgeland]

As adults we all have past lives, and the older we get the more we have. Pleasures we will never know again, and pains. Where do we draw the visions, tastes and textures from, that we use to make our characters feel alive to our readers? I think nowhere but our own past lives. Second hand experiences can never read as true as when we are writing about ourselves. My stories involve young men just starting out in life, in harsh circumstances. Of course, their lives are far more magical and adventurous than mine was, but the guts are the same. The real fears and loves of real people.

 

http://hubpages.com/hub/A-Good-First-Job-For-A-Kid

 

The story of my first real job. Dirty, hot, hard.