As writers, we should dig deep into our personal emotions to discover the “unique, yet universal” issues tied to our past experiences that are  important and relatable to the general public.  As long as we are able to connect that emotion to a universal purpose, our writing should flow naturally,  impacting heavily on those who identify with the characters and/ or the subject matter.  If we are passionate about this subject matter, which we should be if the experience was important enough to change us, our writing shall inspire unity, harmony and a positive change within our audience.  A good story allows  readers to overcome their own pain, while they learn from the mistakes of our characters which mirror their own.

As much as we write to entertain, we write to encourage our readers to think deeper, to face their own challenges and to connect with their emotions, with the hope that our story will change lives for the better.  When our readers walk in the shoes of our characters, seeing life from this other point of view, they are able to examine , then acknowledge -their own imperfections, which is the first necessary step toward their growth.

And so, a good story is born from the seeds of our deep, personal emotions and experiences, combined with the magic of our imaginations and society’s “what if” questions and a good writer should be bold enough to expose  painful experiences or emotions to her audience without holding back, in the shape of a well-developed story.  Everyone at some time in their lives relate, whether directly or indirectly, to intense subject matter such as suicide, racism, forbidden love, rape, bullying, the desire to fit in, death of a loved one and other important “universal” issues and it is the job of the writer to explore these serious and sensitive subjects in a way that our readers can identify with and quite possibly, if we are lucky, transform themselves, even in some small way, as a result.