That piece started as a story for my friend. I had the idea rolling around in my head for a while, but never written it out. Anyway, my best friend is gay in a conservative household. He does get support from his family, but I just wanted to give him something that said I'm here for him, too.
That's the way it started, at least. The direction the characters appear to be taking is moreso a reflection of my own feelings and insecurities about myself and relationship prospects. I find it very hard to stay true in writing from someone else's perspective. The problem with writing, I've found, is that you can only write what you know. And I only know myself. I know my best friend well, but I can't seem to shake the desire to put myself in my narratives. It's a downfall of mine. And a constraint I can never stick with. I can't tell if it's aversely affecting my writing or not, however.
Should a piece of me be in every story? Or is it unhealthy to have this connection with all of my characters? I suppose it could be problematic further down the line if I am in every character like that. It's dishonest in a way. What if I come across a character I'm writing that has to do something I don't want to believe I would do? Would I change the story so that I could live with myself and have restful sleep? Or, would I use writing as a cathartic exercise to air out a few of my demons and allow those parts of me to live honestly in my stories?
Either way, I don't see it being very healthy to my craft. If I only write about me, am I really growing as a writer?
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