A Writer's Diary: The Beginning

If I were to write my own story, I would be unsure of how to start it. I would be stuck in the same endless cycle of repeated words, unable to form the correct sentences that would describe my life. As a creative writer, I take confidence in my ability to create worlds that I will never see while struggling to live my own. Is writing how you escape from reality? Maybe, but I like to think of it more as experiencing what "could have been."

The Beginning

Huge surprise: Kaylee Nguyen is a control freak. I think it's something about having a grip on the direction of your life that pushes me to hover every inch of my being. The feeling of knowing where you are headed and that everything will be alright is soothing and never fails to put my nerves at ease. Unfortunately, life is unexpected and its choices endless; that is why I love creating stories.

Having control over a world that I create lets me escape from our daunting reality for a couple of hours each day. When I was younger, those hours were spent in my bed. Every night, I gazed at the ceiling in silence as I sat alone with my thoughts and the voices in my head. Soon enough, I began to dump the lines that my mind fed me onto paper, creating characters who I wished I could meet from nothing and building up cities with a flick of my pen.

I don't think that I could ever live in a world where I would be unable to tell my tales.

The Creative Process

To me, the most difficult steps of writing a compelling story are finding inspiration and ending the narrative. Inspiration is so unexpected; it pops into your head at the most random intervals and never comes when you actually need it to. When the inspiration runs out, you're forced to put yourself through the endless cycle of mundaneness until that spark lights up again. However, when it actually comes, the eureka feeling is unmatched.

When looking for inspiration, I find that it's best for me to look for extra-ordinary aspects in ordinary day-to-day life. I go through a process, sort of like a ladder. With each step as I climb higher on the ladder, I ask myself a question that adds another (deeper) layer to whatever story I try to create.

For example, I would ask myself:

Subject - This apple is red.

Initial Question - What can I create out of redness and an apple?

"Who" Question(s) - What kind of character could be associated with apples?

Perhaps there is a traveler who sells apples and dresses in a garment of all red?

"Why" Question(s) - Why does this traveler sell apples?

Did one of his relatives make potions out of apples?

Does the traveler himself make apple potions?

Etc.

Questions are absolutely essential to expanding a universe. They can lead to the grandest assortment of words with the most impactful messages. And in these new universes, you are essentially its King. While you are free to do whatever you wish as the ruler, the King's responsibility will always lie in the needs of their subjects (the audience).

When writing for yourself, do it to your heart's desire. Pen temples that are grander than anything anyone could imagine; illustrate heroes that people wish they were. However, when writing for an audience, it is your responsibility to be compelling and engaging, to entertain with a story for the ages.

My Goal:

I seek to share my thoughts with the world. I want to contribute something great while having fun doing it.

As I take you through my creative process, please keep in mind that I will be learning and growing with the story that I create. Please feel free to comment with your questions, comments, and concerns!

Lots of love,

Kaylee ♡