The Story of My Life by Kait Carson

Have you ever written a book? When my first novel was released my heart was warmed by those who came to author events and praised it. These people were largely strangers. All had nice things to say about the story and the characters and several made valid critical suggestions that I appreciated.

The praise from my friends was a bit different. These were people who know me well. They cheered me though the writing and the editing. Some served as beta readers, but following release, more than one had this advice. “Loved the book, but if you really want to write a great one, let me tell you about my life.”

The comment took me a bit to puzzle out. Were they saying the story was okay, but could be better? Did it lack suspense? Was there something unsatisfying that could have been remedied? I simply didn’t know. I opted to smile and nod encouragingly while suggesting that perhaps they were best suited to tell their own story.

As I wrote more novels, I found myself confronted with similar comments. After a while, I realized the comment isn’t about the book. It’s a comment about us as individuals. We are all author of the story of our lives. It’s a saga that begins the day we are born and continues until the end. There is conflict, joy, resolution, red herrings, regrets, and pain. Each of us perceives our story to be the most interesting. It’s ours after all. It’s the tale that shapes us and those closest to us.

We’ve all heard the quotation “write what you know.” Some attribute it to Twain, others to Faulkner. The author isn’t important, the spirit of the quote is. It’s this spirit that ignites the belief that ours is the best story. We tend to view every story through a personal prism. Far from criticism, the remark is praise. Someone saw themselves in your book and wants to trust you with their experience.

Unfortunately, write what you know, in fiction, does not mean tell your own story. If it did, most books would be pretty dull. Instead, it means to write what you don’t know and make it part of your experience. I’ve never murdered anyone. The story that I tell is informed by my quest to explore the motives of the murderer. What drives someone to murder? With few exceptions, I don’t have an answer to that question. I write to find out, and to explore how to restore equilibrium to society after the offence.

Does this mean that a life well-lived would fail to make good copy? Not at all. While there is no debate that some people live their life on a grand scale, and others on the world stage, it’s the everyday person who makes history. In fact, it’s the everyday person who finds themselves in an extraordinary situation who serves as the protagonist for most novels. Most of us can relate to one heart-stopping moment where what we do is greater than who we are. That’s the moment we all want to share. The one that would make the best-selling book.

Have you found yourself in a situation that would make a best seller? Are you sharing it with your favorite author or writing about it yourself?