Writing Out of Pain

I remember hearing somebody saying that the years in a writer's life where they are happy and enjoying themselves are wasted years. Writing comes from pain. Whenever you are not in pain, you are not thinking of anything to write about.

There is truth in this sentiment. Writing is a form of catharsis. By expressing your pains, you no longer are keeping them inside. As it turns out, these kinds of stories can also be quite enjoyable for others as entertainment, thus they serve both as personal healing and pleasure for others.

If you have no misery, you have nothing to express. You can try to make it up, but unless you have practiced telling two lies and a truth, fake stories will ring hollow.

All stories are at least partially autobiographical. Since you are the writer, everything is filtered through you. Every character has a piece of your mind and personality. Every plot is something that you think about. Actions are things you would do, things you wish you could do, or things you are too afraid to do, but they are all things you are thinking about. Therefore, if you have no pain to draw from, you have nothing to write about. And since pain and conflict are a requirement of writing, they are a requirement for writers.

On a more personal level, I have found my classmates always wrote stories based on the pains of their own life. They also mentioned that they could never think of anything to write about. If they didn't have any pain, they wouldn't have written anything in their years at college. And of course, there's me. I hate writing anything that even remotely resembles me or my life. However, it is when I think about the things that pain, disturb, and trouble me that so many ideas come from.