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.
1. CHILDHOOD MEMORIES CAN HELP YOU SCULPT BACKSTORY FOR YOUR CHARACTERS
Once when I was quite young I came across images of every nation’s flags in an old encyclopedia. I spent much of that week drawing copies of every single flag with crayons. I came across those flag drawings in a closet the other day and was flooded with memories of that week I spent drawing them. They reminded me of how it felt to be a kid, how curious I was, how much happiness drawing brought me back then, and how much drawing has meant to me throughout my whole life.
Crayon drawings I did of national flags as a kid. From top left to bottom right: South Africa, South Korea, Macedonia, Barbados.
I thought to myself how a memory such as that could be an interesting backstory for a character someday. Not the flags themselves, unless the character is a failed artist turned geography teacher or something, but any object that might bring a character the same range of emotions as my flag drawings brought me. Those drawings inspired within me a sentiment of childhood innocence and simplicity similar to that which the Rosebud sled inspires in Charles Foster Kane.
Kane’s Rosebud sled burning in a fire from Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane (1941).
Perhaps that’s a stretched comparison, but I think it’s there to be made. Who’s to say whether one of the writers of Citizen Kane actually had an old sled that the mere thought of transported them back to their innocent childhood? In the film, Kane’s character succumbs to the negative, regret laden side of nostalgia. He suffers from the “living in the past” effect. While that isn’t the healthiest tendency in real life, it comes to be a defining characteristic of his character and of his entire story. To me, the word Rosebud in that film is a form of powerful, character-shaping nostalgia at work.
2. WRITING ABOUT LOVE AND PAIN IS DIFFICULT, LOOK BACK ON YOUR OWN FOR INSPIRATION
It’s pretty obvious we enjoy a good love story. We also love stories about heartbreak, loss, and periods of emotional difficulty that come to help our heroes grow. We like to see these in our books and movies because heartbreak and loss are such universal emotions. To write convincing emotional content – such as a breakup or death of a loved one – isn’t the easiest of tasks for a writer though. It has to be not only moving, but also relatable and honest. This is where the sad side of nostalgia can come in handy. There exists a silver lining that with time you may be able to apply your own pains into honest, first-hand heartbreak for your characters. If you go through a breakup it may be painful, but you’ll know better how to write a breakup when the time comes.
I can’t imagine The Great Gatsby wasn’t at least partially inspired by Fitzgerald’s relationship with Zelda. And if not by her, then by some past relationship of his. The sort of love that Gatsby has for Daisy and his desperation to make the future exactly resemble their past together is an iconic instance of nostalgia in literature. Gatsby’s nostalgia completely drives the story. This strikes me as an emotion Fitzgerald must have felt at some point and drawn upon.
Cover of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
Taking true bits of your life and manipulating them to befit your characters goes back to the concept of “write what you know”. Maybe it’s morally ambiguous to advocate channeling a past love into your work, but the best writing is honest and that honesty usually shines through to create better work.
HOW NOSTALGIA CAN BE GOOD FOR YOUR DAILY LIFE
Cartoon I sketched. A VHS tape consoles a broken hearted book.
1. IT CAN HELP YOU APPRECIATE YOUR LIFE, EVEN THE HARD PARTS
Nostalgic thinking makes me better able to cope with periods of my life that have been less than favorable. For instance, all growing up I wanted to be an architect. In high school I took every drafting class available and intended to go to college for architecture. In the end, I didn’t. I went on to study Media Arts and then filmmaking – a choice I’m now beyond thankful for having made. However, architecture was a major part of my identity for years a difficult one to split with. I still have print-outs of buildings I designed in high school and they fill me with intense nostalgia when I see them. I appreciate though how I’m never overcome with sadness that I didn’t become an architect. Instead, I’m overcome with gratitude both for what I am doing now and for those years of architectural study that helped lead me to who I am now.
One of the first office buildings I designed in high school.
The same effect applies to past relationships. Every now and then I’ll be looking through old photos and find one of myself with a past girlfriend. I immediately remember the sadness I felt when we broke up, but in the end it makes me happy to still have that photo. It transports me back to all the happy memories we made together which I’m glad to have. I appreciate how, just like my severed relationship with architecture, every past relationship has helped mold me into who I am now.
Life is short and our time is limited. Therefore, it’s important to remain grateful for the lives we’re given and the experiences we have, both good and bad. As we age we want to feel as though our lives have had meaning. There’s a good, in-depth article about this by the New York Times that says how nostalgia may be especially useful to mental health in middle age and the later years of life. To be nostalgic is to cherish one’s own life. It can help you feel as though you’ve lived a fulfilled life full of meaningful moments and relationships. I try to perpetually keep this in mind. To see each day as an opportunity to make new significant memories can be tremendously beneficial for daily mental health.
2. IT CAN HELP YOU “LIVE IN THE NOW”
Our highly digitized, Instagram-centric society has made “live in the now” an increasingly popular expression these days. I’m not the first one to point out how many people live behind their phone cameras these days. Living for the post has become a key symptom of social media. In a somewhat backward manner of thinking, I think being a nostalgic person can subtly remedy this effect. That’s because the nostalgic person knows every chapter of life will come to have nostalgic significance some day in the future. This is called anticipatory nostalgia – when you actively disallow yourself to miss a nostalgia-to-be moment.
Last year I went on a road trip with a couple friends. Of course, I took many, many photos throughout the trip. However, even in doing so I felt more “in the moment” than I almost ever do. I already knew those moments, as they were happening, would become nostalgic memories one day. By being aware of that I was able to not simply take the photos and move on from the moment, but take a photo and also take the time to live in the moment and appreciate it. Now, about a year later, I’m glad I took so many photos. I can look at them and remember exactly how it felt to be with my friends, sleeping in cars, going on hikes, and exploring the Vegas strip.
Looking out our window at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, May 2016.
There’s a very specific feeling I get when I think back to that trip. There’s a unique sensation associated with all sorts of memorable chapters of my life. To think back on that trip is similar to thinking back on my time playing baseball, going to swim meets in high school, when I broke my arm, or dating a certain girl. It’s harder not to be appreciative of whatever is happening to me right now when I know in the back of my mind that no matter what it is I’m facing today will come to be another meaningful chapter to look back on one day.
Candid shot from a hike in the Redwood forest in northern California.
There are plenty of reasons that it’s great to be nostalgic, too many to list here. Despite the common assumption that nostalgia can be detrimental to feeling satisfied in one’s present, there’s been much new research in recent years as to the opposite. I used to fear that my inclination for nostalgia might be a negative characteristic. The more I’ve thought about it though, the more certain I am that this is a positive trait. Nostalgia has helped me greatly in my creative writing. It also keeps me grateful and keeps me in pursuit of meaningful experiences every day. For additional reading about the subject, I found several other good articles here and here.
I’LL BE NOSTALGIC ABOUT THIS SOMEDAY
Starting this blog has been a good, recent example of anticipatory nostalgia for me. Blogging has been quite an endeavor for me thus far. It has challenged my writing ability and also pushed me to be more transparent online. Both of those are somewhat uncomfortable at times. However, I’m thoroughly enjoying the process despite the challenges it brings. I know that pushing through these challenges will inevitably make this a chapter I’ll look back on fondly. Hopefully by then blogging will have become more comfortable for me. Thanks for reading.
Michael
