How Fiction Helps Me Understand the Truths of Life
How Fiction Helps Me Understand the Truths of Life
I have always loved reading fiction, especially novels that explore the complexities of human nature, culture, and history. Fiction is not just a form of entertainment for me, but a way to learn more about myself and the world around me. As Amy Tan, one of my favorite authors, said in her Masterclass, “Fiction is the best way to understand the truths of life”.
I have also been writing fiction for a long time, using my own thoughts, memories, and imagination as the raw materials for my stories. I believe that writing fiction is not only a creative outlet, but also a therapeutic process that helps me cope with the challenges and conflicts that I face in my life.
One of the most powerful tools that I use as a writer is my past. I have experienced many things in my life, some good and some bad, that have shaped me as a person. Some of these experiences are too painful or difficult to talk about, but I can use them as inspiration for my fiction. As Amy Tan said, “What happened in the past can be bad but for the writer is good because you can now take this visceral sensation and use it”.
For example, one of the themes that I often explore in my fiction is the relationship between parents and children, especially across different cultures and generations. This is partly influenced by my own family history, which is full of drama and tragedy. My father was born in China during the Japanese invasion and witnessed many horrors and atrocities. He escaped to Brazil when he was a teenager, but he never forgot his homeland and his family. He married my mother, who was also from China, but they had a very unhappy marriage. They divorced when I was young, and I grew up mostly with my mother, who was very strict and demanding. She wanted me to succeed in everything, but she also wanted me to follow her traditions and values. She did not understand or appreciate my passion for writing fiction, which she considered a waste of time.
One of the books that helped me understand my own situation better was The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. This novel tells the stories of four Chinese-American women and their mothers, who immigrated from China to America after World War II. The novel shows how the daughters struggle to balance their American identity with their Chinese heritage, and how the mothers try to pass on their wisdom and experience to their daughters, who often misunderstand or reject them. The novel also reveals the secrets and traumas that the mothers suffered in China, which explain their behavior and expectations.
One of the scenes that resonated with me the most was when one of the daughters, Jing-mei, learns that her mother had two twin daughters in China whom she had to abandon during the war. Jing-mei’s mother always hoped to reunite with her lost daughters someday, but she died before she could do so. Jing-mei then decides to go to China and meet her half-sisters for the first time, fulfilling her mother’s wish. This scene made me cry because it reminded me of my own father, who also had a twin sister whom he lost during the war. He never knew what happened to her, and he always wondered if she was still alive. He once told me that he thought she was killed by her own thoughts.
This scene also made me realize that my father loved me in his own way, even though he was not very expressive or affectionate. He wanted me to be happy and free, unlike him who was haunted by his past. He also wanted me to know more about his culture and history, which he was proud of despite all the hardships he endured. He gave me books about China as gifts, hoping that I would read them and learn from them.
I think this is one of the reasons why I love fiction so much: it helps me connect with my father and his story, even though he is no longer with me. It also helps me understand myself better: who I am, where I come from, and where I want to go.
Fiction also helps me deal with the present challenges and conflicts that I face in my life. As Amy Tan said, “IMBALANCE - CRISIS - THAT MOVES YOU FORWARD”. Whenever I feel stuck or unhappy with something in my life, I try to write a story about it. Writing fiction helps me express my emotions and thoughts in a safe and constructive way. It also helps me explore different perspectives and possibilities that I might not have considered before.
For example, one of the issues that I have been struggling with lately is finding a balance between work and leisure. I work as a software engineer for a multinational company, which is a very demanding and stressful job. I enjoy coding and solving problems, but I also feel exhausted and overwhelmed by the deadlines and expectations that are imposed on me. I often have to work long hours and sacrifice my personal time and hobbies, such as reading and writing fiction.
This story made me think about the consequences of extreme lifestyles, either too leisurely or too workaholic. It made me wonder what kind of future I want for myself and for humanity. It also made me appreciate the value of balance, moderation, and harmony in life.
Writing fiction helps me find this balance in my life. It is not only a hobby, but also a necessity for me. It is a way to escape from the pressures and problems of reality, but also a way to confront them and solve them. It is a way to express myself, but also a way to learn from others. It is a way to entertain myself, but also a way to educate myself.
As Amy Tan said, “If you have a seriousness of purpose, which is to understand yourself, human nature, the world, and the conflicts that make us infinitely interesting, you will find the stories that you want to tell”.
And as Alan Watkins said, “Learn to understand and control your emotions and your emotional life is one of the most important skills you will ever develop in your life”.
I hope that by sharing my stories with you, I can also help you understand yourself and your emotions better. And I hope that by reading other stories, you can also find the truths of life that matter to you.
Thank you for reading my blog post. Please leave your comments and feedback below. I would love to hear from you....
just remember...
...the most amazing fiction...
...is the one that is hard to distinguish from truth and reality ;)
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Safe Journey My Friends!
Ivan C. Possamai
Read on Medium:
I just published How Fiction Helps Me Understand the Truths of Life
https://link.medium.com/rlMwKjUrBDb
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