I’ve been downloading TED talks in iTunes, since they make for good, quick, off-line viewing, and are generally entertaining and/or educational. We watched this one over breakfast today:
Being a minority writer myself, I feel some of the same pain she describes. In many ways, I’m always writing the other, because I rarely draw upon my own life experiences for my fiction–like Laura Anne Gilman, I believe that “Write what you know” means learn more, not write less. I want to use my imagination. I don’t just want to be a reporter (though those skills are very useful, craft-wise); I want to create.
Maybe you should have moved to some place less interesting than Portland. As it is, you'll be constantly tempted to use life experience.
Nah. I'm great at ignoring things.