What’s Your Origin Story?
What can I say? I like characters.
I like them so much, in fact, that I spend a thoroughly unnecessary amount of hours just lounging about and envisioning their childhoods. What was it like? Where did they live? Did they have a lot of friends?
But, most importantly: where did they come from?
That’s the core of the origin story. That’s the great big appeal, for me, and one of the best ways I can understand the character. Why are they the way they are? Why do they do the things they do? It all ties back, inevitably, to where they started. Only with that comparison in mind can I really begin to dig deep and get a feel for where they are now.
But what about me? What about you?
It’s easy, I think, to forget where we’ve started as writers. It’s even easier to lose that sense of perspective — that reminder of how far we’ve come and why we do what we do.
I started in ninth grade English class on September 12th, 2001. The emotions still ran pretty strong after the tragedy at the Twin Towers, and my ninth-grade mind wanted to do something about it. I wanted, in some way, to express how I felt, and decided to write a brief story about the men and women who lost their lives the day before.
I wish I remembered what I wrote. But I do remember the title: “I Know What Heroes Are,” and the incredible reaction I received from my teacher and classmates. I realized, then, that maybe I wasn’t half-bad at this writing thing. And I realized that it let me connect with people on an entirely different level, a feeling I would soon come to cherish.
That single story kickstarted my entire writing career. Years later, I can look back on it with a smile, knowing how small I started and seeing the great leaps and bounds I’ve made since then. And it reminds me, too, of why I write: to connect with those around me through the power of language and words. It’s easy to forget that when the projects start piling up, but the mere memory of where I started really helps remind me why I do what I do.
So what’s your origin story? Take a moment, if you have time, and think about it. Write it down, even. It’s important to understand where you’ve come from as a writer, and I think the added perspective might just reinforce how proud and excited you are to have come so far.
Image courtesy of Neil Baker.
Matt Madeiro is a part-time vagabond, part-time grammar snob, and full-time unemployed. He devotes his time and energy to self-improvement blog Three New Leaves, nurturing it like his own virtual child, offering advice on travel, exercise and living a more minimalist lifestyle. The tweets? They’re just for kicks.
Good idea, Matt!
Reflecting on your own past is a great way to understand why you are the way you are … furthermore, how a similar past might affect a character in a story.
I’m not really the type of writer to weave my personal backstory into a character, but it seems to be a popular method among the community. During my time as a story analyst, I started seeing a lot of patterns in the work I was reading — including your personal backstory in order to vent your feelings about the past was one of the most common.
I think if a writer were to reflect on their past and figure out how it’s shaped them, either negatively or positively, they’ll be able to add more depth to their characters.
That’s just me though — what do you guys think about including your personal backstory? Not so much in terms of small details here and there (that’s probably inescapable for the writer), but rather large events, sequences, and more?