The Adolescent Impulse, Femininity and Writing

     Lately I've been interested in the idea of how a wild adolescence may or may not affect an individual's personal development.  Most people go through a period in their teens and twenties where they seem to indulge their primal urges if you will.  Usually, it is with reckless behavior such as partying, drinking and drugs.  There are other less typical and harmful ways of course.  But it seems to be with the intent of embracing youth, impulse and fitting in with friends.  Despite these actions being foolish and stupid most of the time, there is no denying there is a sense of admiration for people who are brave enough to embrace reckless impulses. 

They remind us of the archetype of the naïve hero who will risk everything to save his friends, the wild genius who will hang their life on the balance on a whim, the passionate artist who will never give up. 

These people go against wisdom and reason.  And perhaps youth in the real world are manifestations of the desire to be those archetypes.  It is often a short-lived manifestation where people grow out of it in response to responsibility.  However, I do wonder how the young people who never respond to those urges turn out, and how they might develop differently in the long run. 

     I have often thought I grew up too quickly, although it did come with many benefits.  And while I do not wish to be a part of usual juvenile behavior, I cannot deny there is a part of me that envies the careless adolescent.  Most people look back to the days in their twenties, and remember a time when they were wild and a little more stupid.  As of now I don't think that's how I'll look back on my twenties.  Maybe that's a good thing, maybe its not.  However, there is definitely something to be said for a life with less closed doors, so to speak.  For example, the best writers in my opinion are people who came from unique backgrounds or have lived a life open to dynamic experiences.  I remember someone on YouTube pointed out the difference between comic writers from the 20th century, compared to today, which is most of those men experienced war and battle, and they drew from their experiences to create their characters and plots.  And I thought that was really interesting, and there was probably something to that.  However, I'm not trying to reinforce the advice "write what you know," because I don't believe that advice is fully accurate.  I think its more complex, and it can alienate fantasy writers, or more specifically, young writers. 

Perhaps better advice would be "Write, Increase Knowledge, and Write Some More."

     There are many ways to increase knowledge.  It can be through reading a lot, or listening to others, or real-life experiences.  No matter the means, the more you fill your brain, the more you have to draw from.  I guess its my lack of real-life experiences that is bothering me and perhaps my confidence as a writer.  I have a theory many female writers struggle with this.  Most of us may go to college, maybe travel a bit, get married and have children and become mothers...and that's kind of it.  Not to mention the women before us had even less.  No wonder Fifty Shades of Grey was so popular. 

Stories are built upon breaking free from the domestic existence, and for many of us, that's all we know.

Sure we can imagine it, but its not personally experiencing a life freed from the domestic constraints of everyday life, which formerly, was only experienced by young males.  Not that we women don't have those experiences, but historically we have had a different, collective existence.  Along with our adolescence, perhaps our stories have not had the chance to break free. 

This is just my current thoughts and theories.  Feel free to add your thoughts whether you agree or disagree, I'd love to hear them.

~Alyxandra Sarik