[et_pb_section][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text]
Need a Story? Try Mining Your Life
When I was coaching radio DJs—especially those struggling to find interesting content—I advised them to “Mine your life.” Revisiting people, places, and events can provide the basis for all or part of a story.
Some of the bizarre goings-on at Joey’s Italian Bar and Grill (where Mo works) have their roots in actual events I experienced working my way through college in Atlantic City hotel dining rooms and kitchens. To these, I elaborated and/or made-up some things that, while they didn’t actually happen, could have, thus giving the story a healthy dose of comedic absurdity.
Stan’s apartment, 140 South Virginia Avenue #2-B was where my grandfather Edwin lived. I took some poetic license with the apartment’s interior, but the building and the neighborhood as described in the books are close facsimiles to how things were in 1972.
The same mining goes for people, too. Truckin’ Leonard, proprietor of the Toke-N-Hippie down from Stan’s psychic parlor, is based on a real person from my college undergraduate days. In DOG AND PHONY SHOW, the third book in the STAN AND MO CHRONICLES (January 2025), one of the characters is based on a veteran waiter I worked with at the Dennis Hotel.
Most people have a treasure trove of experiences and acquaintances that can be the basis for some fascinating stories. If you want to try your hand at writing a scene using this technique, send it to me and I’ll respond.
Have fun!
The photo above is of my grandfather and me on the Boardwalk. It must be the off-season. There are no acts posted on the Steel Pier marquee.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]Author
