Time Travel in Writing

Defeat Writer’s Block By Revisiting Your Past

Dive Into Your Memories for Ideas

Good afternoon, Class! I am glad to see you all again! It’s time to discuss time. And how it relates to your writing. It can be a powerful tool to use in your writing. I know I sure enjoy using it.

I’ve talked about Writer’s Block before. That’s a pretty negative term for not readily having a topic in mind to write about. Some of us can really get hung up on not having an idea to work on. It can be stressful to many who struggle with it.

I have good news though for anyone who has a difficult time with Writer’s Block. You can overcome it in a pretty easy way. Let’s discuss the topic of time. Specifically, how a trip to your past can help you to have plenty to write about in the present. Fire up your DeLorean and let’s gun it to 88 MPH.

One thing I’ve had good success with in my writing is telling a story. I’ve always had quite the memory. I can remember a lot of things in detail from about grade school to now, at age 49. This is helpful in my writing.

I love to write a story that comes from my past. Being able to conjure up details and the feelings I felt when writing about a memory is advantageous to my writing. I’ve had numerous readers mention how vivid and detailed certain stories are that I’ve published. I love getting feedback like that from a reader.

It’s nice to be considered a storyteller. Some of my favorite writers of all time have been master storytellers. John Grisham, in particular comes to mind. The details in his books for me just made his incredible writing even better. You can certainly use details from your past to your advantage when telling your own stories.

Another wonderful aspect of revisiting your past is being able to relate something you went through to the present. People love to hear about lessons a writer has learned and how they compare to certain modern-day situations. Using a story from your past to relate to your present can make for a wonderful writing piece.

It’s can also be therapeutic to write about things you’ve overcome in your past. Many of us have endured some very difficult situations. Some have been victims of abuse. It can be empowering to revisit some of these past wrongdoings that were done to us and address the situation in the present.

I’ve read some powerful writing pieces where the once-victim is able to stand tall and release their anger toward their abuser. Some of the most compelling, emotional writing pieces find the writer taking their power back through their writing and healing in the process. I love writing pieces that help us feel better about ourselves in the present.

Another awesome aspect of revisiting one’s past is reliving wonderful memories. So many of the amazing things that have happened to us in our lives deserve to be documented and noted through our writing. I’ve told plenty of awesome tales and shared many unforgettable memories through my writing in the past two years I’ve been doing this.

Being able to tell a story that entertains or inspires others is badass. Thinking back to some of your greatest accomplishments, happy memories, and other meaningful life events can provide an almost unlimited supply of topics for your writing. Especially if you are adept at relating them to modern-day events and situations.

It’s also pretty interesting to be able tell stories from different points in time. Many younger readers have no idea what it was like to exist without the internet being around. Hell, they couldn’t even picture a world without a cell phone in their hands. I struggle with that too, if I leave my phone in the car and find myself standing in a line with nothing to do.

Imagine telling them that when you were young, you didn’t have a magic little box that was a phone, a computer, a set of encyclopedias, a video camera, a radio, a tape recorder, a Rolodex, and so many other things all in one. I could probably list a dozen more things that my cell phone has replaced over the past 30 or 40 years.

I’ve mentioned some of this to my kids and I get the impression they don’t fully believe me. I can almost hear them thinking, “Ok, Boomer…” in their heads. And shaddup about that Boomer shit, I’m Generation X you little brats. You’re going to be old someday, too.

But that’s the good thing about being middle aged or elderly: The longer you’ve lived, the more experiences and events you have to draw from. Even if your memory isn’t quite what it used to be, you can still remember many things that you lived through, if you think hard enough about them.

Take a stroll through an old family photo album and see how many things you suddenly remember that you may have forgotten about. I’m sure your mother has them at her house like my mother does. It’s fun to sit back and look through old photos, remembering the stories behind them and having a few laughs.

Some people will tell you to leave the past in the past where it belongs. I tend to disagree with that advice. I think when you’re a writer, the past belongs in the present. And it will lead to your next future writing piece. &:^)

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