The Writer’s Passion

by Emma Larkins

 

 I took a class in creative writing a few years ago. Our teacher had us bring in a couple of short stories over the course of the semester for critiquing by the rest of the class.

 

I’ve always been a writer. I remember writing this great horror story in grade school about a giant lizard-monster terrorizing a remote town. It’s always been difficult for me to write under pressure, though, and I did the best I could. I ended up with a story about a group of men who built custom motorcycles and took a road trip to an exhibition with their best bikes. It wasn’t a horrible story, as my critique partners pointed out; but I could tell that it didn’t really catch their interest.

 

What had gone wrong? Did my story have an awkward passage or two? Did my dialogue fall flat? Did my characters not inspire emotion in the reader? Actually, something much more sinister lurked beneath the surface of this “eh” piece.

 

The problem? I simply didn’t care enough. I’ll be honest; the last time I rode a motorcycle (with my dad, thankfully) I couldn’t see above the handlebars. I’ve only ever seen bikes built on television. I’ve never spent time with a group of rough-and-tumble middle-aged men. My story had not one single piece of truth to it.

 

You might argue that fiction has little to do with truth, and you’d be (partially) right. Without imagination, there would be nothing to fiction. No entertainment value, no inspiration, no enlightenment. Without fact, however, fiction has no backbone. It’s like wandering around in a dream where houses are the size of shoeboxes and rain falls up and everyone around you is a lovely shade of blue. It just doesn’t feel right. It’s fun for a little while, but you don’t want to hang around there for very long.

 

I’m sure you’ve heard the adage “write what you know,” and you’ve probably heard the rebuttal that if everyone wrote what they knew, the world would be a pretty boring place. I think the debate can be resolved with one simple phrase: write with passion. If I had been truly passionate about my story, I would have taken the time to ask people about motorcycles, hang out with riders, maybe even ride one myself. A few juicy details gleaned from this limited exposure would have enlivened my story in a way that thesaurus-inspired adjectives and colorful characters never could. A few realistic images for the audience to grasp onto would have greatly helped my cause.

 

In the end, you’ve just got to feel that passion to succeed. Readers can tell if you care about your subject matter, or if you’re just going through the motions. If you can’t take the time to immerse yourself in your work, it probably isn’t the right thing for you.

 

About the Author:

Emma Larkins is an aspiring author who has co-authored an article in a trade magazine and written several technical manuals. She currently pursues numerous goals, such as starting her own company (www.studiofrido.com), learning to play guitar, publishing her introductory novel, and seeking happiness.