How Personal Experiences Influence Writing

How Personal Experiences Influence Writing, guest post by Anjenique Hughes @SovereigntyJen @iReadBookTours
Some of the greatest writing can come out of personal experiences! Every summer I whisk off to an exotic land, whether it be to Russia, Morocco, Turkey, or Brazil. I've definitely had my share of experiences traveling the globe, some amazing, some terrifying! Si, I have climbed through ancient pyramids in Egypt and hiked the Great Wall of China (Good). But on the flip side, I have taken scary taxi rides in the middle of the night in Dubai and have also been detained and interrogated for seven hours by the Israeli Mossad (Bad). 

How Personal Experiences Influence Writing, guest post by Anjenique Hughes @SovereigntyJen @iReadBookTours
http://amzn.to/29YQo1P
All of these experiences have influenced my writing; I get ideas from every trip on which I embark. For example, I spent five weeks in Israel one summer on a diplomatic mission, promoting peace between Palestine and Israel. I had my entrance strategy all worked out, my itinerary in hand, and my Fodor’s travel book on Jerusalem tucked under my arm upon landing in Tel Aviv. After disembarking the plane, I reached the customs border prepared to answer whatever the guards tossed at me. Well, needless to say, the man questioning me mistook me as a terrorist and asked me to follow another guard into the back. My heart was pounding out of my chest as I sat in a closed, locked, pristinely white interrogation room! The Israeli secret service came and questioned me, and what followed was a new interrogator every hour. I was sure I was to be black stamped and denied entry into Israel. Fortunately, after the “brass” quarreled amongst themselves for thirty minutes, they decided to let me pass.

I share all this as an example of some of the experiences I chose to draw from when it came to writing my YA novel, Sovereignty. While in Israel, my eyes were definitely opened, to say the least. I used a lot of my circumstances and run-ins with the Israeli government as juicy writing fodder. Now, I’m not saying Israel is a bad country- it happens to be my favorite of all the places I have traveled! I’m simply relaying that even scary times in life can make for excellent writing material.

Take that incredible hot air balloon ride and turn it into a short story. The hilarious white water rafting debacle where everyone was catapulted into the rapids? Use it in your next writing piece. Start a blog on your own travel! Keep a daily journal of interesting experiences for your next novel. Inspiration can come from the least expected places! J

How Personal Experiences Influence Writing, guest post by Anjenique Hughes @SovereigntyJen @iReadBookTours
With master's degrees in education, special education, and counseling, Anjenique "Jen" Hughes is a high school English and math teacher who loves teaching and mentoring young people. She enjoys traveling and has worked with youth on five continents. Saying she is "young at heart" is an understatement; she is fluent in sarcasm, breaks eardrums with her teacher voice (students have complained when they were within earshot), and cracks sarcastic jokes with the best of her students. Her work with ethnically and socioeconomically diverse youth has inspired her to write books that appeal to a broad variety of students seeking stories of bravery, perseverance, loyalty, and success.

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1 Comments

  1. Edna Cooper27 July 2016 at 13:48

    I've never been to Jerusalem, but I know few people who started the book of the whole life there. I started my career since I wrote an essay, I recommend you an article on How to Write a Rhetorical Analysis Essay to boost your brain.

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