2min chapter

Writing Excuses cover image

18.31: Getting Personal: Mining Your Life for Themes

Writing Excuses

CHAPTER

How to Write a Story About John Cleaver

When you're looking at stuff from your life, when you're mining it, you don't have to say this is a thing that is happening in my life and then put it in as a major plot point. It can just be something that you're holding in your head and will inflect it or it can be showing up in small details. And with that first draft of Next of Ken, I had to tone it back and say, okay, wait a minute, this needs to be a story about John Cleaver, not a journaling entry about Dan Wells.

00:00

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
App store bannerPlay store banner

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode