Should We Write "Real Life" into Our Stories?

There are dozens of directions I could take with today’s post, but for time’s sake, let’s talk possibility and plausibility.

Since this isn’t a writing blog (although I do share thoughts on the process from time to time), I won’t bore you with rights and wrongs.

The truth is everyone and their Great Aunt Alice has an idea of what writers should do and the approach we should take. Some ideas (like those from experts in their field) have merit. Others, (perhaps well-intentioned, but clueless about the craft) not so much.

Depending on your genre (speculative fiction and fantasy, for instance), time travel is realistic and accepted as the norm. In other genres, the idea would seem outlandish—even laughable.

Now, that’s not to say we can’t infuse our stories with those wow elements—the ones that make us read a passage twice for the sheer delight of it.

As an example, I write faith-based Heartfelt, Homespun Fiction with real-life perspective. I weave slice-of-life vignettes into my stories to add depth and breadth to plot lines and characters. And as they say, truth is often stranger than fiction.

Remember my pea accident I shared? Yes. That. Well, you can bet that will go into a future story. Maybe the heroine will be accident prone. Maybe the neighbor across the street will hear her scream and charge hero-like into her kitchen to assess the situation. Maybe her rescuer will be the former class clown turned respected physician—the same physician, who as a teenage prankster, used to mercilessly tease and taunt our heroine.

…Of course, who couldn’t resist teasing the pretty girl whose badge read Candy Stripper beneath her name. (It was the extra “P” that made all the difference.) *wink*

Oh, the wheels that turn!

And BTW…yes. I knew that girl. *ahem*

But alas, Candy Stripers are no more. Too bad.

My contemporary (and much younger heroine) will have another comedic moment to draw from. Believe me—there are many.

Drawing from memory, people we know or meet, and current life points add realism to our stories.

As a former “PK” (preacher’s kid) growing up in my own beloved Mayberry, I have ample real life experience to work with. I can craft fun, vibrant characters based on people, places, and things that have enriched my world. I can create fiction from fact.

The regions in which we live make great plot fodder. That’s why the Ozarks influence my writing style, stories, and characters. It’s what I know because I’ve lived it.

And if I include additional details that I’m not as knowledgeable about or as familiar with?

That word. Research.

Plausible stories make us believe.

Possibility meshes belief with what if.

That’s where real life intersects.

In any genre.

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