Looking for a writing project? Not sure where to start or what to write about? Look no further than your own family. And the holiday season with the accompanying get-togethers with family and friends provides us with the chance to talk with our relatives.
Face it, families are not perfect. The old 1950s “Leave it to Beaver” images flickering on the television were fiction and we all know it. Every family has something different about it. Even in families that call themselves “normal” – and someone please define that for me – if you scratch the surface, you’ll find a story.
Family members can be the inspiration for some interesting characters. Change the names and the setting “to protect the innocent” and voilà. Family memories about Uncle Martin and his three wives and two mistresses can become the basis for a romantic sexy romp or a torrid, dark twisted tale of intrigue and romance.
War memoirs are currently popular Today’s seniors are living longer and there are many around who may be delighted to share their memories. My own mother was known for her stories about her family’s escape during the war and life during the Blitz in London. Veterans tell us about the realities of war, stuff they didn’t teach us in school.
When a person passes or has to go into care, family members need to clean out the person’s residence and dispose of family heirlooms, photos and papers. Don’t wait that long to mine your grandmother’s treasure trove of memories. Visit now and take a walk down memory lane with her. You may discover such things as old love letters from the front line, postcards detailing a madcap tour of Europe, immigration details, family photos and clues to missing branches of the family tree. It’s all potential story material.
Remember, nothing is stranger than real life. We can make up fantastical tales about aliens and dragons, but some of what our ancestors lived through is totally off the wall. I’ve been given a file about a relative whose wife spent years trying to commit him to a lunatic asylum so she could get her hands on his money and run off with her boyfriend.
People like to read about families and their adventures. If the family in question is wild and crazy or desperate or catastrophe-prone, the readers feel better about their own nutty relations. Conversely, they may think their family stories are even better and start their own story projects.
So if you are looking for a good plot or some interesting characters to write about, start talking to your family members – you may be very surprised at what you discover.
