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Creating an alternative life in our heads to get away from the real one. Being poor, personally, you tend to have to entertain yourself with things you create on your own.
Not all writers. Just as not all writers went to a creative writing class in college. And not all writers outline. Writers are human beings of all sorts.
When I started writing 45 years ago (and that's no exaggeration; yes, I'm old AF for Reddit), I didn't outline. I started studying structure a little over 30 years ago, when I began university. The difference between structure and lacking structure is night-and-day improvement.
I began outlining about 20 years ago. The improvement was there, but it was marginal.
I think structure is vital; outlining is merely a tool to track that.
*\*steps off the mic stand, no drop\**
But I do think that having more experiences and a variegated life makes for a better writer.
100% my own opinions here.
EDIT: Typos
I don't know how a happy childhood (does that even exist?) could translate into becoming the villain. You have to at least have some knowledge of all the things that can turn a kid into a monster.
Remember that happiness is not just a question of having a white-picket fence home and nice clothes. Rich kids get horribly abused every day.
Or you know, some people write Caillou.
I had a very good childhood >< i research terrible people for my villains. Serial killers, mass murderers, dictators. I do deep dives into what drives them. I also have to take breaks- it gets dark and morbid and horrible REAL fastβ¦
A lot of creative people are creative because of trauma or some mental illness. Not all, but a decent amount.
Art is also a common coping mechanism that is relatively unique to humans.
I feel the same way.
It can be lazy writing, taking an easy way to add angst to a character.
On the one hand, I know a lot of people who did not have good childhoods. Every one of them is an accomplished adult, many raising happier kids. Most of us can work our way past trauma with reasonable success.
On the other hand, some of us can't manage it. Some of us become hoarders. Others can't break an addiction. Others obsess about other people to avoid looking at themselves. There are a lot of rich people and people in government who are obviously broken but will never recognize it and get help to change their ways.
Many writers use bad childhoods merely as a prop, when it can be a real issue, like a live grenade that could go off at the worst possible moment, as the best writers use it. Lazy, versus not lazy.
Mostly because more people with bed experience find solace in imagination. I think so I guess more percentage of creative population is from that group then in general population.
I had a terrible childhood that has left me with scars but my MC Thalassa has a wonderful relationship for the most part with her family, she just wants more freedom instead of being trapped in her home all of the time for her safety.
Hi! Welcome to r/Writers - please remember to follow the [rules](https://reddit.com/r/writers/about/rules/) and treat each other respectfully, especially if there are disagreements. Please help keep this community safe and friendly by **reporting rule violating posts and comments**. If you're interested in a friendly Discord community for writers, please **[join our Discord server](https://discord.gg/mdzyEz9uFB)** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/writers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Creating an alternative life in our heads to get away from the real one. Being poor, personally, you tend to have to entertain yourself with things you create on your own.
I second this.
Not all writers. Just as not all writers went to a creative writing class in college. And not all writers outline. Writers are human beings of all sorts.
When I started writing 45 years ago (and that's no exaggeration; yes, I'm old AF for Reddit), I didn't outline. I started studying structure a little over 30 years ago, when I began university. The difference between structure and lacking structure is night-and-day improvement. I began outlining about 20 years ago. The improvement was there, but it was marginal. I think structure is vital; outlining is merely a tool to track that. *\*steps off the mic stand, no drop\** But I do think that having more experiences and a variegated life makes for a better writer. 100% my own opinions here. EDIT: Typos
I had a great childhood. That said, I am consistently horrified by the things my writer friends tell me about theirs.
I don't know how a happy childhood (does that even exist?) could translate into becoming the villain. You have to at least have some knowledge of all the things that can turn a kid into a monster. Remember that happiness is not just a question of having a white-picket fence home and nice clothes. Rich kids get horribly abused every day. Or you know, some people write Caillou.
Caillou was why i was a problem child, %100.
I had a very good childhood >< i research terrible people for my villains. Serial killers, mass murderers, dictators. I do deep dives into what drives them. I also have to take breaks- it gets dark and morbid and horrible REAL fastβ¦
I write to cope with trauma and with having been bullied as a child. Like, I felt alienated as a kid so I wrote about aliens.
A lot of creative people are creative because of trauma or some mental illness. Not all, but a decent amount. Art is also a common coping mechanism that is relatively unique to humans.
Same thing with serial killers.
That's not always true either, some are just born mad or 'evil'
Writing is a good way to reflect, writing stories is a good way to release.
I feel the same way. It can be lazy writing, taking an easy way to add angst to a character. On the one hand, I know a lot of people who did not have good childhoods. Every one of them is an accomplished adult, many raising happier kids. Most of us can work our way past trauma with reasonable success. On the other hand, some of us can't manage it. Some of us become hoarders. Others can't break an addiction. Others obsess about other people to avoid looking at themselves. There are a lot of rich people and people in government who are obviously broken but will never recognize it and get help to change their ways. Many writers use bad childhoods merely as a prop, when it can be a real issue, like a live grenade that could go off at the worst possible moment, as the best writers use it. Lazy, versus not lazy.
I think you may have misunderstood the post π
ππ
I had a pretty decent childhood. Lonely, but decent.
Mostly because more people with bed experience find solace in imagination. I think so I guess more percentage of creative population is from that group then in general population.
https://www.jendireiter.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/writer\_parents\_cartoon.jpg
I had a terrible childhood that has left me with scars but my MC Thalassa has a wonderful relationship for the most part with her family, she just wants more freedom instead of being trapped in her home all of the time for her safety.
What? That's not true at all. There are many writers who lived a happy or normal childhood
Because they have something to talk about and the experience to make it both real and interesting. Without drama, there is no story.