Turning Reality into Fantasy

How writers turn real life experiences into stories for publication

Have you ever wondered how authors take their own reality or personal experiences and turn them into stories for mass market appeal? Well, as an author who recently did just that, I can tell you that it’s with great effort and a little imagination.

Both Malorie and I have now published multiple books that started with our own personal experiences. The first was the book Malorie wrote about her time up at the Playboy Mansion called “My Playboy Story” which recounts her journal entries from her time as a friend of Hugh Hefner. For her, the experience was so important and interesting that she thought more people may want a true inside look into the happenings of the iconic mansion. From her start meeting casting directors, to becoming a friend of many playmates and family members, its an interesting way to present her reality into a journey others can enjoy.

Malorie also wrote a short story which was later published inside the anthology book, “Choices”. In its pages, she explored the reality an old diary she had written about her time growing up in the south and the struggles that her own identity forced her to face. It was a deeply personal and difficult story to conform for the average viewer, but she had hopes it may help others find a way forward in similar situations. Reading it over, the emotions and anxiety she felt at that time translate incredibly well to any viewer.

I, myself, recently published a book entitled “The Christmas Monster”, which takes a fantastical spin on the experience of bringing a feral cat into our home. It is a poem in the vein of the old Christmas storybooks which puts a whimsical spin on the adorable challenges we once faced. Our cat “Strahd” or “Monster” for the book’s sake, would knock over anything not nailed down. He climbed the Christmas tree, ripped into the carpet, and bit through many electronics. He was a lovable scamp and we found ourselves laughing at a lot of the mayhem he caused, so I decided to take the feelings we had for him and twist the story to be more of a children’s tale.

When I wrote the children’s book, I decided the most important thing was the perspective I had on my cats. I used my rose-tinted goggles to make sure any mention of destruction became a laughable experience. The art went a long way to ensuring that whimsical nature. The main reason I made the book was to put out there that a feral cat can be a challenging adoption, but one very worth the experiences. All the cats mentioned in the book are actually our own, and I used their personalities to paint larger-than-life characters I think a child would like to daydream about.

In a lot of my fantasy writing, I take personal experiences in small part to color the story. Characters that are in the book may be based on friends or descriptions based on locations I have traveled too. Relatability is so important in a story, and I think incorporating the personal into the fantastical is an intrinsic part of the creation and story telling process. So, whether you’re reading an autobiography or Tolkien’s ‘Lord of the Rings’, I’d bet your eyes are sliding across someone’s reality. It just may be hidden in ways you’d never expect!

Perception

The whole world fits in her hand
But when she stares into it
The reflection comes back upside down
It’s then she realized
The way she saw the world
Was uniquely her own