When writing a story of your very own, I think there is an added effect that comes from using your own personal experiences as a blueprint for the writing itself. Your memories, your feelings, your beliefs, your personality...drawing from these sources gives the whole feel of a story a certain ′touch′ that can′t be achieved by just putting words on the screen. You may often hear the term, ″write what you know″ being thrown around a lot, and I couldn′t agree more. No matter what the content of your story may be, there is an underlying meaning and emotion beneath the surface that your audience can connect to if you′re speaking from the heart. For example, you may have never been to the Moon (I′m assuming. Hehehe!), but if you write a story about two people falling in love in a Moon based colony, set fifty years in the future...your readers can still relate to the story that you′re trying to tell. They recognize feelings of infatuation, and love, and awkwardness, and beauty, and fear of rejection. The more honest you are with the emotions you are drawing from, the more relatable your story will become...even if the premise is something that your readers previously knew nothing about. Tap into that deeper meaning, that hidden ′something′, that captures the hearts of all people.

This can be accomplished by using your own life experiences as a map to find a loyal and appreciative audience. Your joy, your regrets, your fears, your triumphs, and your mistakes. Weave it into every word you write and let it become a part of your project. The result will be worth it! Trust me!

However, while your life and emotions may be a powerful source to pull from...that source is not unlimited. We only have one life to draw from, right? (Hehehe, again...I′m assuming!) We′ve only had one childhood, one college experience, maybe a handful of relationships, one set of parents, a select cluster of good friends...our experiences and memories create our view of the world, but there are only so many experiences that we can use as inspiration. And for authors who are writing a bunch of different stories at one time, or those of us who are writing a variety of completed short stories, one after the other...′formulas′ begin to form. Ideas may repeat themselves. Characters may seem similar to one another. Dialogue may become repetitive, situations may seem overly familiar, and common themes may begin to tire themselves out. But I′m here to tell you that you can master your own formula and use it to your advantage! So let′s get into it, shall we?

Let me begin by saying that there′s nothing wrong with being yourself in the stories that you write. The idea of having a ′formula′ isn′t something to cringe and shy away from. I, personally, write a LOT of stories on my site. Hundreds of chapters, spinoffs, shorts, etc. And there will be people who will try to tell you that they′re all the same story. They′re not. Trust me. One story might deal with coming out of the closet, another might deal with financial differences, another might be a vampire sci fi story, and another might involve domestic abuse. The themes in every story change all the time. The obstacles the characters face are different. The interactions are different. Some stories have a darker tone, while others are more comedic in nature. It′s more than just changing the title and the character names to differentiate one story from another. It takes hard work and dedication to keep coming up with new angles to view life and love from. But it′s possible. Always keep that in mind. Like I said, we only have one set of personal life experiences to draw from. But the reason I write so many stories is because there are things that I want to talk about and issues I want to address that can′t POSSIBLY all fit into one story. It needs a story of its own. If I was just writing the same story over and over again, I would have gotten bored with it years ago.

I′ve actually learned to take the ′Comsie Formula′ comment as a HUGE compliment. To have someone recognize your particular voice and style in everything you write is incredibly flattering. Take what might be seen as a predictable formula and make it your ′signature′. Your stories are a part of you, and you′re a part of them. Take pride in that. Stephen King has a signature. Spielberg has a signature. Andrew Lloyd Wright, Quentin Tarantino, Elton John, and Pablo Picasso, have signatures. If it′s an honest expression of self, and your unique, literary, DNA has become evident in every story that you put out there, then isn′t that a good thing? People can read something and tell that it′s your work. Simply because your imprint relates to them in a familiar way that just feels like ′home′. Awesome! Readers will come back to read your stuff over and over again without question. Because you understand the underlying themes that bind us all together, allowing you to tell an infinite amount of stories that can, and will, hit every single time with your audience. Stick to what you know. Find ways to express what′s in your heart, and then work to get even better at it! The stories may vary, but the core remains familiar and entertaining, no matter what it is you′re writing.

An example...

I am a MASSIVE James Bond fan! I have been since I was a little boy, and I always will be! I, honestly, think that 007 is one of the greatest characters in cinematic history. The suave, charming but dangerous, spy...has been around since 1962...and they′re STILL coming out with another movie in 2019! Obviously, 1962 and 2019 have NOTHING in common! Hehehe! But the character evolves, changes, and reinvents itself, many times over...but still keeps the same ′feel′, without compromise. To the point where James Bond movies could feasibly go on forever! That is mind-blowing to me! Now, audiences have an idea of what to expect when they watch a Bond movie, but they may not realize that EVERY single movie has been following a very distinct formula since ″Goldfinger″! All of them. Same exact formula, and yet all of the movies, while the themes are similar, are vastly different from one another, and entertaining in their own right. Some of these formula ingredients are as follows:

• Every Bond movie starts off with a mission that is mostly unrelated to the rest of the movie, and almost always involves a ′timer′ or ′countdown′ of some sort to get said mission completed.
• This leads into the gunshot Bond intro, and an opening credit scene with a song by a currently popular artist or band, combined with a surreal montage of ′guns, gambling, and seductive women′.
• Every Bond movie has an interaction with the Quartermaster (″Q″), who sets Bond up with a few technological spy gadgets that will ultimately come in handy later on in the film! (Remember my article on ′foreshadowing′? Hehehe!)
• Every Bond movie has a meglomaniacal villain with a desire to take over the world in some way, and is accompanied by a special henchman. This henchman will have some sort of weapon, disfigurement, or ability, that makes them almost superhuman. A rival for Bond...but will end up dying due to Bond′s wits and skill. (Oh, and the evil base or lair ALWAYS blows up in the end!)
• Every Bond movie has an extremely beautiful female character, who is there to help, hurt, or distract Bond from his task. This female will have a sexually suggestive name (Holly Goodhead, Plenty O′Toole, Pussy Galore, etc), and whether she is a friend or foe...she will end up having sex with Bond by the end of the movie.
• Bond will meet the main villain for the first time, and beat him in a particular sport or game of chance. They will antagonize one another, but in a gentleman friendly way, and the villain will use that frustration to order Bond to be ′taken care of′ shortly afterward.
• Every Bond movie, half way through, will have an intense chase scene of some sort. This chase scene will feature some variation of the original 007 theme! Yes...in EVERY movie! (Cars, boats, ski mobiles, tanks, trucks, etc)
• And of course, the famous ″Bond...James Bond.″ line, and the vodka martini...shaken not stirred.

Here...take a few minutes and watch this short video, a montage of all the Bond movies combined...

Hehehe, God, I LOVE you, James Bond! LOL!

So, whether you′ve noticed it or not, decades of Bond films have all been closely connected to a core group of cinematic tropes that fans have all come to recognize and look forward to. To the point where we′d miss it if a part of the recipe was missing. Including Bond saying one of his famous quips after killing one of his enemies. It′s because there′s something about that formula that WORKS! It has been consistently successful for over 50 years now, and has appealed to a number of different generations without fail. It taps into that hidden space where we all relate and understand one another, despite our differences. Adventure and danger and sophistication and purpose. When you′re writing, no matter what your concept may be, always remember to return to those honest parts of yourself and make it a part of your project. That′s where your audience will find ′you′. And where you′ll find them in return. When reaching out to your readers, it′s that easy connection that can make or break the ′feel′ of a story.

Bottom line, draw from your real life. Something honest, something real. And no matter how many stories you write, no matter what anyone might say about you or your signature style...your fans will latch onto your story and truly feel in tune with what you′re doing. Your experiences share a lot more in common with other people′s experiences than you might believe. That heart and understanding is what will keep their attention. Every time. I′m not saying that you shouldn′t challenge yourself and try new things from time to time. I′m saying that it′s ok for you to be ′you′ in your writing. You′ve lived ONE life, and that story deserves to be told the way you want to tell it. Even if you tell it a million different ways. You′re a 3-dimensional person, with complexities and nuances that can be expressed in a variety of different stories. So go for it! Write a story when you′re angry. Write one when you′re heartbroken. Write one when you′re horny as hell! That′s three completely different stories right there...all coming from the same place. And if somebody recognizes your signature style...AWESOME! It′s a testament to your ability to become one with the text you type on a computer screen.

Let them see you. And allow your formula for success to carry you to new heights with every new release.

Hope this helps. And I wish you guys the best of luck!