While the miracle of analyzing your DNA can inform you of the origins of your ancestry, it will not offer you much about what they experienced, what they thought, what they felt, learned or endured in their lifetimes. Historians surely understand the pangs of such a loss and must rely on those who bore witness and left their accounts for posterity to interpret.

As a fiction writer I often define my role as a historian of the imagined. I meld my experiences, conversations, memories, illusions, dreams, and observations to fit the parallel lives and stories of the characters I create. These stories come from the bits and pieces flowing in and out of the mysterious engine that is my subconscious mind. I feel certain that other fiction writers and those involved in artistic pursuits in other mediums will define their creative adventures in a somewhat similar vein.

As I grow older, I have discovered some missing links that I’m sure might have embellished my stories and widened their scope if only I had pursued them with more energy and diligence. [Continue Reading on The Rumpus]

 

Writers of the World – What’s Your Story? Click to Explore and Submit a Reflection