I've always felt like I need to convey something when I'm writing.
Like a message. Something I've learnt or felt or thought that I'm wanting to share.
I've always thought that stories are the best way to share those messages but I'm wondering if that's really correct.
I often wonder, if I have something that I feel needs to be said, why not just say it? Why does it need to be gift-wrapped in a story?
For instance. I sometimes feel that I spend too much time wishing my life was different. There, I've said it now.
Do we need anything extra?
I've been thinking about experimenting with a different form of writing. Something a little closer to life - a little more autobiographical.
Not a memoir. People who aren't famous and say they're writing their memoirs make me heave slightly. Definitely not a memoir.
But I'm wondering if there is a form of writing where I could present a character who is essentially me in a disguise and then push him through various stories.
If the old idiom is to write what you know, then surely I, as the best authority on myself, should be able to write myself quite well.
A story I'm working on now has a central character who is very close to me. I wonder how different it would be if I took that extra step and just made him me (in disguise as a protagonist).
Or is this all just really arrogant and conceited? Am I overthinking this a tad - most likely.
In short - I think I should try writing with a character that is essentially me, and pushing them through experiences I think about from my own life to see if the things I want to say can be said in a clearer way than trying to communicate the same thing implicitly through a story.
Simple.