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My Own Personal Aesthetic

© Kelli Brooke Haywood

It has always been my goal as a writer to write things that the reader can identify with in some way whether it be positively or negatively. To do that, I try to write stories and poetry that contain life events (i.e. funerals, weddings, arguments, laughter, grieving, divorce). My work is about events that really happen to real people. The major creations being the characters.

In my work, I try to create characters that have strong ideals and personalities. The reader is then better able to understand a character's feelings and reactions to events in the story. My characters have to seem like real people. Making them that way, is probably the most fun I have with the creative process. I take personality traits from people I know or observe, and I throw things together to make a fictional character. I try to remember pieces of conversations to add to the character's dialogue so that the way they speak fits their personality. If this is done well, the characters should make the story.

By working with real events and real people, one might say I am limiting myself to boring plots. However, as seen in Steve Yarbrough's, "The Rest of Her Life," interesting things can happen to real people. We see this everyday. What makes things more interesting is seeing how characters react. The events in Yarbrough's piece changed his character, Dee Ann, forever.

The main thing that I drive to capture in my work is the human experience. It is a nonending subject matter that interests all audiences. This has to be accomplished in a way that is reader friendly. I try my best to use engaging description, everyday language, and well spoken dialogue. I try to avoid confusion without neglecting mystery. I don't shy away from telling things the way they are because that is the most interesting way to tell things. Above all, it has to be believable, no matter how ridiculous the subject matter seems. It has to work.

By following these guidelines, I hope to produce pieces that touch people. I feel my lot as a writer carries many responsibilities. Entertainment. Truth. Style. Art. I want my readers to lose themselves, and from that, experience life in a slightly different way for the duration of my piece, and if I do things particularly well, they will continue to do so.