Problem: I am struggling to get past the story of my everyday life when I write. It's not even that interesting (although I have travelled a bit in the past year and settled in a different hemisphere living mainly on a malfunctioning boat, so not exactly mundane but still nothing that remarkable).

Rather than return to life as it was in the UK, I have decided to stay overseas a while longer where I can live more cheaply, enjoy beautiful scenery and don't need a full time job (aren't I lucky? it's paradise of a sorts but believe me the problems still stay with you wherever you go). The idea is that days spent out of the office are for writing (and living/sailing). Trouble is that I am struggling to get past my own story at the minute. Over the past year I have written a number of 'extracts' of my experiences, mainly to keep my sanity (drafts of which can be found here - Red Scooter/The Jar etc) and they are all sitting there like an unfinished script.

In fact, I never ever get past UNfinished fullstop.

So I had an idea that I should try and put these various extracts/blogs together and create some kind of 'whole' so that I can close the book on my own day-to-day life as a subject and get it out of my system...then perhaps I can find some new stories and create a lot more 'wholes'.

I hear a lot of people say that their earlier writing was indulgent or a bit narcissistic, but they also say it is a necessary purging process. Perhaps it shouldn't matter what you write about; if you want to write and improve, you just have to do it.

Thoughts on autobiographical musings please...however harsh. Not sure for right forum here.

Why not try a few writing exercises which may get your creative rather than autobigraphical juices flowing. For example taking three objects and creating a story around them. Or writing about an abstract like jealousy. Or creating two characters and make them talk to each other.

You might not always create anything brilliant doing this, but it certainly gets you thinking outside yourself.

I don't think anyone entirely gets themselves out of their own writing because ultimately everything you write is shaped by your own experience. What works is letting your imagination free so that you are not writing about yourself, but projecting outwards, creating fictional worlds.

This could probably do with being posted in the Technique forum or ideas and inspiration forum in order to garner more replies.

I think it depends how you approach it - I'm in a similar situation in that I've recently emigrated, and I feel inspired to write about emigration and how people settle and so on but I don't want it to be about my own life, so I've been doing some research into Australia's history of immigrants and trying to find a story that resonates with my own experiences but which is different enough to appeal to me as a long-term project rather than me whittering on about my mundane days and petty struggles as I do on my blog...

The malfunctioning boat aspect sounds intriguing - I'm just in a boring old house

earlier writing was indulgent or a bit narcissistic, but they also say it is a necessary purging process.

I think that's really true. I also think you never do quite get yourself out of your writing - and if you look at famous writers, you'll see that they do shamelessly tell the same story over and over again (Ishiguro is a good example) but no-one seems to care. You may find that writing about yourself, like Gerald Durrell or James Herriot, for example, is actually the best way to write something that interests everyone.
You might also try blogging - you could write all your 'about me' bits on that.
Above all, sounds like you need to get the sense of a plot. Find a main character, find out what they want, and then set off to get it with him/ her/ it.

It may not be of interest to you of course, but could you turn your experiences into a version of a 'how to' type book? In that way, whilst 'you' would be absent as such, the tips and wrinkles and lessons learnt from your experiences could provide an informative, entertaining and useful read for others who may be considering a similar path to the one you have taken.

I did this - in my case it was about how to survive doing a self-build. The book is not about what we did as such so is not autobiographical and nor is about how to build a house (there are plenty of other established books about that); rather it is more about passing on the knowledge gained from surviving the experience and tips / advice etc regarding the common areas that most people might encounter if they do something similar.

As I say, this sort of non fiction may not be your cup of tea, but could be worth a thought. Good luck anyway! Katy

One option is to try to separate out the different strands of yourself and your story, and choose one or two, and put them in a different setting or context.

So, take the 'expat' experience of someone much like you living in a culture you weren't brought up in, but set it it in Northern Canada where you once had a holiday, or Ancient Rome - your character gets posted to govern Anatolia. Or is the slave of the same and has to go too willy-nilly. Or another planet? What would I want? What would get in my way? What would I do?

Or take the place you're living, but think, 'What would it be like to be someone who didn't like sailing/was fleeing a divorce, or was older/younger/other gender, had a child, or didn't speak the language, or whatever? What would they want? What would get in the way? What would they do?

Or take the emotional situation you're in at the moment (or have experienced in the past) and set it in the Durham mining village in which your grandfather grew up. Who could be the main figure? What would they want? What would get in the way?... You get the idea.

That way, you are tapping into things which are real and authentic for you, but moving on from them to something outside yourself. Then, when you're writing, instead of constantly checking back or being tied to what's 'actually' true, which is very limiting, you can keep the emotional and human truths, but are liberated in what you can write to explore them.

Or, call it 'Creative and Life Writing,' and write your memoirs.

Emma

Good advice, thank you. I needed an outside perspective on this so your suggestions are much appreciated. I like the idea of extracting one strand of what I know/experience and incorporating that into a new story.

"you can keep the emotional and human truths, but are liberated in what you can write to explore them." (can't remember how to quote) Thanks Emma, this resonates.

A sense of plot is precisely what I lack SS, well spotted!

Exercises are the way forward to get into the habit or creating other worlds that are informed by my own experience, rather than a mirror of it.

Friends often say, when I recount stories of my choatic life, "wow, you should write a book" - perhaps that's just the immediacy of oral story telling though; I suppose I am intrigued to see if I can retain the interest in words so I will continue with that too.

I do have a blog for the 'all about me' stuff! I just don't get to up date it that much as I don't have internet on the boat or at place am currently house sitting so most writing is offline.

it's all about me

If you scroll down a bit to the only Jan 2008 entry you'll see my home on the water, Myrtle!

I'm enjoying your blog - was very interested to read your Xmas 07 post because I've been thinking a lot lately about what a hot Chrimbo will be like, away from my family and friends, and whether or not it'll feel like proper Christmas...I might need to get some fake snow and put the air-conditioning on full pelt, for about a month - it's the build-up I love.

Anyway, very good luck with your writing.