How To Write Personal Stories While Still Putting Story First

Write Emotions You Know Into Stories You Make Up!

I’m drawn to vulnerability. Terrified of it, but drawn to it. I contain multitudes. Because of this compulsion towards intimacy, I’ve always pulled from personal experience in my writing. The idea for my very first short film, EXES, came to me after I literally ran into an ex while he was wearing a shirt that I bought him. (How dare he?) When I worked at BuzzFeed, I constantly drew from my own identity, whether it was about getting my shit together, negative self talk, or coping with trauma. I got hired at The Morning Show in part because of my personal experience working as a journalist. I’m a huge proponent for personalizing your writing, and I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the best way to shape stories around personal experience.

Lately I can’t stop thinking about this subject, mostly because a lot of my students struggle with it too. More specifically, I see people stumbling into the trap of clinging to what really happened and prioritizing the reality of their experience over creating a cohesive story arc.