# im a little lost...



## Aldog076 (May 5, 2008)

I been writing this story since feb. and this idea jest hit me...How can i write a war story, that has a emotional change in my character but i never first hand experienced war. Should i stop writing or forget this ever happened and finish..


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## M. LeRenard (May 5, 2008)

Obviously, the solution is to join the military.

Speaking seriously, though... if this is a rough draft, then just wing it and get a critique later on.  
Or if it concerns you a whole great deal, you could always talk with some veterans who might have had the same kind of experience, or worse yet you could do a little research in books or magazines or on the internet to see if you can find people who've had similar sentiments and get their thoughts that way.
If you don't trust your own knowledge enough to make something believable, the only thing you can do is research, really.


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## Vore Writer (May 5, 2008)

Read and/or watch a couple of war movies, and go from there. You should never stop writing something just because you never experience it.


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## Poetigress (May 6, 2008)

Look for first-person accounts -- soliders' blogs, interviews, published memoirs, that sort of thing.  After you have a first draft written, you may want to see if you can find a vet (either locally or online) who'd be willing to read it over and offer feedback.


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## Kipple (May 6, 2008)

You have never experienced war, but perhaps you have experienced fear and loss, guilt and shame, pride and duty, homesickness and alienation. There are two things that are important here - the feelings and senses of war and the details. As said before, veterans and soldiers can tell you all the gritty details.  Take that a step further and put yourself in their shoes. There are lots of ways a character can respond to killing someone, to getting wounded, to finding friends and comrades in strange places, to seeing those friends die firsthand. A lot of your readers have likely never fought in a war either, but they can imagine it, just as you can.


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