Finding a Subject
1. List your train wrecks. These are big obvious experiences you’ve had that you know are worth revisiting. Start with emotional, dramatic, perhaps traumatic experiences: a divorce, a car accident, braving a hurricane,. getting kicked out of school, going to court, getting fired, getting dumped, winning (or losing) a championship game, being diagnosed with cancer, being rejected, being the object of prejudice. If you discover a gold mine that needs to be excavated, start writing now. Try to remember in detail what you felt, thought, did or didn’t do. Write it all.
2. List conflicts past and present. These conflicts can be external : a bully is chasing you, your credit is bad, your car is run off the road, or the conflicts can be internal: you want to stop drinking, smoking, gaining weight or shoplifting. Conflicts can be both internal and external: you need to improve your grades, but you have no time to study, you want to get out of a bad relationship, but you are afraid of being alone, you need time to yourself, but you worry you won’t be a good parent if you don’t spend more time with your children, your Visa card is maxed out but you just saw a sweater you really want to buy. When you write, state the conflict in the first paragraph to hook yourself and your readers. It will provide energy, focus direction and momentum.
3. List questions. Begin with things you want or need to figure out:
? Should I major in engineering to please my parents, or English, which I love?
? Is this the right school for me? Would I be happier in a more diverse,
urban area?
? What are my immediate and long-term personal goals?
? Should I have children?
? Should I end this relationship?
? Should I start this relationship?
? How can I reconcile with my brother after all these years of estrangement?
? Why do I lie?
? Why is it so hard for me to take risks?
.Choose one question to write from and about. If
the question seems too big, you may want to break it down into smaller
questions in the hopes that one of those will provide you with a break-in
point. For example; Should I start this
relationship? What am I really looking for in a relationship? Why
am I attracted to this person? Am I only attracted to the idea of being
in a relationship? What do I like about being in a relationship?
What bothers me about it? Grab a thread that seems to lead
somewhere. You may find that the question with which you began is not the
one you are most interested in exploring. That’s fine. Write to
answer the question that interests you. Don’t worry if you can
actually answer it. What matters is the attempt, the exploring of
possibilities. The best questions do not lend themselves to easy answers. The
more you think about them, the more there is to think about (and write about).
4. List your flaws. Brainstorm flaws that cause you trouble: taking on too many projects, procrastinating, losing your temper, forgetting things, being late, saying yes to too many things, making impulsive decisions, being oversensitive… Start by stating the flaw briefly. Then explore how it creates problems for you and others. This exploration will probably take the form of a series of stories or anecdotes. As you write, you will see the effect of the flaw on you or on others. You may want to speculate how this flaw came to be and why, on how you might overcome it, or you might explore the positive aspects of your flaw and resolve to live with it, or even embrace it. This kind of essay has tension from the start. You are motivated to keep writing because you want clarification and understanding.
5. Think of an argument you have had with someone in a specific place. You should feel strongly about the person and the issue. First describe the place, then write the scene using dialogue. Include body language and facial expression. Write the argument and why it mattered, what it meant.
6. Think of an object you feel strongly about: your father’s blackened pipe, your favorite coffee mug, a favorite fishing rod, your old baseball glove, your bike, your birthmark. Describe the object carefully, then loop out and make a connection between the object and why it is important to you. Often you will loop from the objects into little stories. If a loop ends abruptly, loop back to the object and then loop out again and again. See what happens.
7. Describe how you live now. Be specific and honest about the facts of your life: what your home looks like inside and out, what’s in your bedside table drawer, what you eat and when, what people you associate with (or would like to), people you avoid.
Adapted from: True Stories: Guidelines for Writing From
Your Life by Rebecca Rule and Susan Wheeler