Shared Human Experiences

Ronnie David M. Rivera | Guest Writer

My students know me for many things: triggering the building’s alarm during my very first class, forgetting how to say common words in English, and how easily I go on long tangents and forget what I was trying to say. However, what they know me best for–or, at least, what I hope they do– is how insistent I am in reminding them that good storytelling is founded on shared human experiences.

Whether your preference for creative writing lies within otherworldly settings and distant time periods or the coming-of-age story of an aspiring athlete, its strength comes from how well it immerses its reader. A story revolving around a tribe of space ogres living on Mars isn’t exactly relatable to most, if not all, readers. If that tribe once flourished under the rule of a strict but wise chief and is now scrambling under that late chief’s underprepared son as he tries to wrangle the pressures of leadership, mourning, and early adulthood, you have something relatable. 

Regardless of setting, language, or the existence of magic, there are experiences we share. We might not know what it’s like to lead a starving band of space ogres through the barren wastelands of the Red Planet, but we can all relate to drowning under the weight of our responsibilities. At some point, we’ve all experienced loss—maybe not necessarily our fathers, but we still recognize that grief.

The same is true of creative writing in real-world settings and scenarios. A story about a detective living in Downtown Chicago who can’t solve the murder of his wife might not seem as unrealistic as the aforementioned story above, but it doesn’t absolve it from the shared human experiences needed to become a good story. Likely, a large portion of readers don’t live in Downtown Chicago. An even larger group of readers aren’t detectives. I’d wager that a staggering majority of readers aren’t Chicagoan detectives who are self-tormented by their inability to find justice for their late spouse, either. Nonetheless, the inability to accomplish what matters to you most can have a tremendous impact on the reader. The same can be said for guilt and a wavering sense of identity.

There is no shortage of stories today. Books, movies, and even video games are in abundance. Both consumers and creators of these narratives mistakenly focus on finding that elusive story that hasn’t been written, whereas doing so does not ensure its excellence. In order to connect with its readers, everything from the simplest plots to the most outlandish settings must rely on the lived experiences we share as humans.

How have you used shared human experiences in your own writing? What stories have you read/watched use shared human experiences effectively?

About Ronnie David Rivera:

“I was born and raised in the Philippines before I came to the United States to begin my college education, wherein I enrolled as a biology major with an emphasis in pre-medicine. In my last semester, I took a science fiction writing class for fun. Not only was that a pivotal point in my education, I would ultimately end up working under that professor and teach that very same class. After graduating with a biology degree, I went on to receive my MFA in creative writing and then my California teaching credential in English. Since then, I’ve been teaching creative writing classes, making my name as the students’ favorite professor, and inspiring students to pursue stories and start online publications.”