On another blog I mentioned that I thought Christopher Paolini's Eargon was childish in comparison to Stephen R. Donaldson's The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever. Part of this feeling arises from the fact that I don't feel that Paolini's writing has the same emotional depth. When I read his work, it reads like someone who is in their teens. It has great ideas, but doesn't quite reach the zenith of where it can go.

I attribute this to the fact that Paolini has just begun life, whereas Donaldson is now in his late 50's, with a plethora of life experience. So my question is, does how you live (and what you've experienced) affect how you write?

Since I can't speak personally for Paolini, Donaldson and others, I'll talk about myself (my blog, my rules, right?)

When I began writing many, many years ago, my stories lacked development, crisis, tragedy. In short, they lacked that human element. Fun and inventive, they were just stories.

Flash forward from the '80's to 2009. I've travelled the world, visited 42 out of 50 states, got married, had kids, lost jobs, gone on unemployment, had close friends die, survived the 9-11 terrorist attacks (I was actually there)...the list goes on.

With everything I have been through in my life, I can now tap into those feelings, those memories, to create more fully developed characters. I understand what true loss is. I understand what it feels like to loose a loved one who was not a family member. I understand what it feels like to be standing in the middle of a once busy New York City street and think that I was about to die.

The beauty (and horrors) of this world help to pepper your imagination and flavor your writing. People want realism, even in fantasy, whose very nature lends itself to unrealism.

Embrace life and embrace your experiences. You'll find yourself becoming a better writer.