
Who is winning the messaging war?
How our environment influences our writing
The choices we make in stories and essays are influenced by such seemingly benign factors like the temperature, traffic, background noise and even the social media feeds of people we follow.
When I read the Pulitzer prize winning play Cat on Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams there are external elements that jump out immediately, most notably the heat on a Mississippi plantation. The underlying desperation and tension is exacerbated by the short-tempered Big Daddy, needling his son and daughter-in-law about their failure to produce a grandchild.
Other authors set their stories in the vast Plains of the Midwest or in cramped apartments buildings in Manhattan where ambient noises and pungent smells influence how characters react. Growing up in isolation versus crowded conditions affects how we think and speak.
If the protagonist is a lobster fisherman, the author most likely experienced the taste of salt water and sweat burning his eyes in his own lifetime.
In fact, I would argue the resilience and patience of an Alaskan homesteader can not adequately be done justice by a urbanite who has grown up documenting every minor detail of their lives on Instagram.
There are so many messages bombarding us for attention we would think inspiration for new writing is plentiful.
But the stories that ring authentic are the ones where we can draw from our own experiences.
The tried and true advice rings true: write what you know.
Your own experiences have the depth and color to drive your message to your readers.
