I’ve been a nostalgic person for as long as I can remember. I still have stacks of homework assignments from elementary and middle school, drawings I did as a child, and countless scrapbooks my mom made. Like many people I enjoy looking back through these from time to time for a casual stroll down memory lane. For me, nostalgia has always been a positive thing. It reminds me of a “simpler time”, and makes me appreciate my life.

Nostalgia can be a double edged sword however. For those like me it can connect one with their past and bring an appreciation for a time that once was. Sometimes though it can induce sadness or a tendency to “live in the past”. Despite the possible consequences, I’ve found that to be nostalgic can be tremendously beneficial both in the writing process as well as in one’s day-to-day life.

An old photo of me reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, circa 1997. This scene is essentially the epitome of nostalgia for me.

HOW NOSTALGIA IS GOOD FOR WRITING

They say “write what you know” and that “all beginning writers write about themselves”. As far as I’m concerned, these maxims both ring true. There lies great creative value in holding on to the small, emotional bits of life so as to one day channel them into a character. To appreciate the significance of the past can aid in developing more complex characters in one’s writing.