Inspired by a tough personal experience, I made a movie. No, not a movie.
I stepped right over the movie and went straight to the movie trailer.
"Unleashed" is the story of Julia, who finds herself over 50 and unemployed, fired by a capricious and cruel CEO. What can she do about it? She can reach out to all of her ex-coworkers who've been fired before and make a documentary to expose the dirty dealings of their former boss. (3:30)
I have been finding writing inspiration from my personal experiences since Junior High School. Tapping my life is a great source of story ideas and fuels my creativity. But how do I go about transforming painful events into fiction - whether it's a play script , short story, novel, or film? Here are my steps:
Be honest
Indulge in fantasy
Play "what-if"
Outwit your fears
Find a template
Stay open to the unexpected
In this video, I explain the six steps for turning life into a fiction, using "Unleashed" as an example. (10:20)
Do you mine your personal experiences for art?
Do you turn disappointments into comedy? Drama? Tragedy?
I'd love to hear about it. Please share!
Film credits:
written & directed by Becky Bruhn
Julia Prudhomme as Julia
Imogen Love
Mia Morris
Erik Lundegaard
Eric Strand
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