5 Authors Who Write from Their Experience

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Writing Tips

Writing Tips

The most successful authors find their inspiration in their own life pursuits.

For example: there’s an element of authenticity when practicing doctors, educators, historians, and scientists pen stories that incorporate their areas of expertise.

This is true for fiction as well as non-fiction literature. Writing is most authentic when the author references a familiar setting, event, occupation, or relationship.

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How I Write to My Life Knowledge

I am a new author. However, I have already found a niche of followers who are interested in what I write about:

  • Relationships–I have a lifetime of experience in nurturing as well as intensely demeaning interactions.
  • Historical Figures–My course of study at college was liberal arts, so I know history well. I continue to research history for my own entertainment.
  • Literary Figures (past and present)–Since I have studied literature for most of my life. I can usually be found with a book or a tablet in my hand, if I’m not typing on a keyboard.
  • Overcoming the Odds–A lifetime of medical and mental challenges fuel much of my writing. My readers can tell that I have “been there, done that”, and that I can relate to them.

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My experiences with a variety of relationships, historical and literary figures, and overcoming incredible trials make my writing believable.
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How Famous Authors Write to Their Life Experience

  • Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and doctor. He was most noted for his stories of the fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes. The author is said to have modeled Holmes after one of his former university professors, Joseph Bell. The fictional detective’s sidekick, Dr. John Watson, was a physician and surgeon, in the same way as the man who created him.
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  • Walter Dean Myers (August 12, 1937 – July 1, 2014) was an American writer of children’s books and young adult literature. His intense style in works such as Monster is probably due to his hardscrabble background. Myers’ mother died while giving birth to his younger sister. Myers was raised by the first wife of his biological father in a rough neighborhood inHarlem, New York, USA. The author often wrote about disadvantaged youth living in an unforgiving world.
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  • John Ray Grisham, Jr. (born February 8, 1955) is an American author who also practiced law and participated in politics for at least 17 years. He is best known for his popular legal thrillers, such as The Firm and The Pelican Brief. Grisham pulls ideas for his stories from his law and political careers.
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  • Dr. Robert Brian “Robin” Cook(born May 4, 1940) is an American doctor and novelist. Unsurprisingly, he writes suspense novels that incorporate various topics related to medicine and public health. Some of his bestselling books include Coma, Virus, and Outbreak.
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  • Clive Eric Cussler (born July 15, 1931) is an American author of non-fiction and adventure novels. He is also a marine archaeologist. His iconic character, Dirk Pitt, is associated with a national government agency called the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA). This organization is responsible for solving nautical mysteries and salvaging sunken ships.  Interestingly enough, Cussler is the founder and chairman of the real-life, non-profit NUMA. He is also an explorer who has discovered many sites of shipwrecks. His popular novels include Sahara and Raise the Titanic.
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 How We Can Use Our Background to Energize Our Writing?

In the same way as the authors noted above, we can enable our writing to pop off the page if we integrate our knowledge and background.  We can incorporate our vocation, education, relationships, and life experiences.  Dimension is added when we personalize our work. For instance, I am not surprised when I learn that some of my favorite works of literature seem so real because the author is writing from her own deeply-rooted value system and life events.

Now let me ask you: How have you added authenticity to your work?

 

Traci Lawrence writes about her passion: communication, relationships, the value of individuals and rising above verbal bullying, or trash talk. She lives in the Northern Virginia area of the United States and teaches English, among other subjects.  Please find more on her blog, and read her book: Accept No Trash Talk

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