Art imitating life

[PennLady]

What experiences from your life -- not necessarily sexual -- have you put into your stories? I don't just mean stuff you did or said, maybe things you observed or heard or whatever.

I'll start -- in my most recent story, Lost in the Woods, the main character, Willow, has a fear of getting lost due to a childhood incident in which some neighborhood kids intentionally tried to leave her in the woods.

This happened to me -- when I was about eight, we moved to a new neighborhood, where the houses were still being built. A few of the kids on my street took me back in the woods, saying we were going to see something (horses, maybe, there were some farms around) and attempted to leave when I was looking the other way. I was too oblivious to realize it at the time; I saw them and followed and kept them in sight and was fine, although I do think to this day I have a little anxiety at going to new places alone.

 

[Dual_Triode]

The first story I submitted to Lit was mostly autobiographical. It contained a sailing adventure that turned dangerous: capsizing during a thunderstorm. Both in real life and in the story, the young lady I was trying to impress was amenable to "warming up" after our rescue. That submission, while chocked full of adventure and sex, was not very well written.

The opening hook in the story, Salvation in the Sargasso Sea, actually happened. The whole experience in the VFW bar and the gaffe over band names became a lethal plot bunny that gnawed at me for weeks. I finally capitulated and wrote the story. In contrast to the first submission, this series is mostly fiction, but is better written, imho.

 

[PennLady]

The first story I submitted to Lit was mostly autobiographical. It contained a sailing adventure that turned dangerous: capsizing during a thunderstorm. Both in real life and in the story, the young lady I was trying to impress was amenable to "warming up" after our rescue. That submission, while chocked full of adventure and sex, was not very well written.

The opening hook in the story, Salvation in the Sargasso Sea, actually happened. The whole experience in the VFW bar and the gaffe over band names became a lethal plot bunny that gnawed at me for weeks. I finally capitulated and wrote the story. In contrast to the first submission, this series is mostly fiction, but is better written, imho.

Haha -- sorry, a nibbling plot bunny is a great image. It's funny, though, how things like that can work there way into your mind, and then into a story.

Another one for me was in Nothing Gets Through. There's a scene in the first chapter where the main character, Lani, witnesses a lovers' spat at a coffee shop. This is from something I witnessed, although for me, it happened at a Burger King in The Hague, The Netherlands and they fought in Dutch. Of course, sometimes things don't need a direct translation.

 

[MarlowBunny]

A couple of my stories are highly autobiographical. (most include little incidents or observed personalities). In fact, I reconnected (friendship) with an old girlfriend because she recognized herself in one of my stories.

I have started using the actual first names of people I know in stories. (Let's see if any more reconnect with me) Obviously, the stories are idealized or go beyond actual events. They are history the way it should have been.

In addition, I started keeping a journal in 11 grade as a requirement for Mrs. Brendel's Honors English. It has grown to over 500 pages even though I sometimes go years between entires. I recently started retyping and editing it with annotations and pictures of the actual people. Volume I is 68 pages so far. My wedding photos became the "plot bunny" used to organize it. Essentially, I just explained my relationship to each person at my wedding. Some of them were ex-girlfriends including my "best person." Lori.

 

[PennLady]

That's neat about using real names, and it's also interesting to see how people approach their writing. My stuff is never autobiographical, although as I've said, I do include little incidents that have happened to me or that I observed. I just get ideas from this and that and then add things in as I go along.

I've never been able to keep a journal (and I'm having a terrible time with my blog). I don't know why, but it's just something I've never had much interest in doing. But kudos to you, MBunny.

 

[Dual_Triode]

Another one for me was in Nothing Gets Through. There's a scene in the first chapter where the main character, Lani, witnesses a lovers' spat at a coffee shop. This is from something I witnessed, although for me, it happened at a Burger King in The Hague, The Netherlands and they fought in Dutch. Of course, sometimes things don't need a direct translation.

This is so true. Since I have started writing, I am much more aware of social interactions occurring around me. Even from across a room, one can get a feeling for the level of intimacy, or disdain, between two people. I like to amuse myself by scripting their dialog, usually more twisted than mundane.

As you point out, you don't need to speak the local language to gauge emotions. I witnessed a lover's quarrel and makeup while in China last summer. No language is more foreign to me than Cantonese, but I seemed to understand their conversation and where it was leading.

 

[PennLady]

This is so true. Since I have started writing, I am much more aware of social interactions occurring around me. Even from across a room, one can get a feeling for the level of intimacy, or disdain, between two people. I like to amuse myself by scripting their dialog, usually more twisted than mundane.

As you point out, you don't need to speak the local language to gauge emotions. I witnessed a lover's quarrel and makeup while in China last summer. No language is more foreign to me than Cantonese, but I seemed to understand their conversation and where it was leading.

It's fun to save up little things like that for future use. The spat I saw wasn't much fun when it was happening, of course. The guy really did shove the manager, as I wrote in the story, and the police were called. And I sat there, trapped in the BK...

Another thing in that story was Lani talking about witnessing a near-perfect game in baseball. That was taken from me attending an Orioles' game years ago, and Mike Mussina came within 4 outs of a perfect game. But there really was a guy who told his son a perfect game was on, and someone who leaned down and said you shouldn't say it until the game is over.

 

[jehoram]

I started keeping a journal in 11 grade as a requirement for Mrs. Brendel's Honors English.

I kept a journal for a short time when I was in high school, but lost it years ago.

My story "The Long Frost" is about half autobiographical. The first half is absolutely true, except for the change in names, locales, and certain other small details. Part of its authenticity comes from the fact that it's based on another journal I kept after my first marriage ended. It documented the nervous breakdown I had and my subsequent recovery from it. The fictional part is the reunion, and I wrote it as a way of resolving some of the issues that still hang around from the experience, and giving it the ending that I always felt it should have had.

The story hasn't received a lot of high votes, but I think it's probably the best story I ever wrote.

The link to the story is http://www.literotica.com/s/the-long-frost

 

[PennLady]

It's interesting to see how many people are "autobiographical" with their stories. Because aside from the odd incident, I am assuredly not autobiographical in mine. Too mundane a life, I guess. But I like it and don't want to change it.

 

[sr71plt]

After that first erotic story, which evolved out of a scene I was writing in a mainstream novel, most of my earlier erotica was based in personal experience. Then there was a period during which much of it was from observed knowledge (or others) in settings I knew well. After a year or so, I was writing enough that when I was developing a story I was looking for something new and different--and varied--each time, so not so personal or autobiographical. Scattered throughout, however, have been stories that popped up from a forgotten past by way of discussions with contacts. So, there still are a few pretty firmly based in personal experience.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Absolutely nothing. Nada, zip, zero. I write from a fevered imagination that rides around in a humdrum, vanilla existence.

 

[PennLady]

Absolutely nothing. Nada, zip, zero. I write from a fevered imagination that rides around in a humdrum, vanilla existence.

LOL You and me both, then.

 

[SamScribble]

I think pretty much every character I've ever 'created' has been based on observation. Although the names are generally changed to protect the not-so-innocent.

And several stories are based on things that really happened, not necessarily to me, but to someone - even if I gave it a bit of a 'twist' to make it more interesting.

I'm also pretty sure that I've never used a totally imagined setting or location - whether that's a country, a city, a building, a hotel or a coffee shop. They are all places I know reasonably well, or have at least visited. I would find it very hard to set a story in Santiago - simply because I've never been there.

Is that what you're asking?

 

[sr71plt]

I've visited a lot of places but not nearly as many as I write about. The Internet is a marvelous research base.

What I rarely do is write about the mundane.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I have included several real life experiences, embellished of course, into several of my stories. The first chapter of "I Married a Slut" is true up to a point...right up to the point where we parked in the drive-in. After that it is pure imagination.

Several of my stories include or are based on a phrase uttered by a character. Or a song that was on the radio at the time of the incident. Or one of those thousands of snapshots the mind takes and saves not allowing you to view until a later date.

 

[estragon]

"The Poem" is between 70% and 80% actual fact. "The Recorder" is about 50% actual fact. Everything else, "I made it up inside my head", as Sylvia Plath said. But once you start writing, everything is a plot bunny, or raw dialog material, or mise-en-scene.

 

[PennLady]

As I've said in other places, I've been inspired by songs, by random things, and even by other stories. Usually what happens in the latter case is I say, well, I didn't like X situation, so I'll write a story that deals with X in this way. Like in my first story, Make a Wish -- I don't know what I'd read before that, but the idea of someone who gets a genie and then doesn't want to make a wish sounded intriguing.

So I don't think hey, this happened to me and wouldn't it make a great story? I'll be writing on another plot bunny and then I'll remember something and decide it would be fun to put that situation in, with suitable alterations. I don't do it in every story, of course, but it's fun for me when I do.

Characters...hmmm... I guess I usually think, what if a woman like X met a guy like Y in Z circumstances.

One example -- For "The Hunted Key," I thought -- what if an Alpha werewolf set his sights on a woman who resisted. I thought about it because I'd just read a story where (as often happens in such stories) a strong, confident woman went weak at the knees when the Alpha guy looked at her. I mean come on -- where"s the fun without a little chase?

And mundane can be different things. Some people like my hockey romances (I think) because I don't have big, wild problems. It's just the things that happen to people. And hockey players.

 

[Dual_Triode]

I Found My Hockey Skates!

All this talk about hockey reminded me of an incident I witnessed back in 1977. I was in my first year of graduate school and the university hockey team was on their way to an NCAA championship. I was not an athlete, I played saxophone in the pep band. One night, between the 2nd and 3rd periods, an opposing team player skated by the pep band. The trombone players were standing up next to the Plexiglas, extending their "bones" over the top. The player raised his stick and wrecked a whole bunch of expensive musical instruments. Absolute mayhem ensued.

I did write about this event in my first autobiographical submission, The Epiphany of Bryan Whiting. I had to.

~Dual

 

[PennLady]

All this talk about hockey reminded me of an incident I witnessed back in 1977. I was in my first year of graduate school and the university hockey team was on their way to an NCAA championship. I was not an athlete, I played saxophone in the pep band. One night, between the 2nd and 3rd periods, an opposing team player skated by the pep band. The trombone players were standing up next to the Plexiglas, extending their "bones" over the top. The player raised his stick and wrecked a whole bunch of expensive musical instruments. Absolute mayhem ensued.

I did write about this event in my first autobiographical submission, The Epiphany of Bryan Whiting. I had to.

~Dual

Oh that's hilarious. Almost right out of Slap Shot.

 

[hottchic]

I think that at some level every paragraph I write has some relation to my past experiences.

More specifically my series 'Fiona and Ariel', the two characters both have elements in them of a bisexual woman who I became very close to. Fiona also has impetuous moments which are based on how I often felt when I was chatting with this woman.

In 'Tits Have Benefits', the whole premis for the story derives from me seeing a porn video with a shemale, where even with a dick I found it impossible not to think of her as a woman. The feelings I felt when seeing this video are all captured in the story along with a sumary of text comments made about the video.

The character Jenny is also based on a very nice lesbian woman who as a result of her life experiences had become antagonistic towards most men.

I think at the end of the day where it is absolutely necessary to call on past experiences is when writing the emotional responces of the characters where to be realistic must be based on similar emotions I have experienced in my life.

 

[Dragonlipz]

Some of my stories are based on the actual activities of other folks and nearly all contain some aspects of my sexual exploits or fantasies....