Prominent Russian playwright and short-story writer Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) once observed, “Every man’s life, poor or rich, famous or not, could be a plot for a short and insightful literary story.”

In 1888, Chekhov published his first work in the Russian literary review, Severny Vestnik (“Northern Herald”). His story, “Steppe,” was an autobiographical work about a journey through Ukraine, then a province of the Russian Empire. Altogether, Chekhov’s career as a playwright produced four classics and more than 50 stories in varies journals. All his publications were based on personal life experience of the subjects and circumstances.

Indeed, life experience is utterly important for a storyteller. If an author lacks meaningful life encounters, he will struggle to create an insightful literary work that could capture readers’ imagination.

In this context, I’m reminded of a situation when, in the early 1980s, my friend at Brown University, Holly Kowitt, was searching for a substantive subject and plot for her creative writing. Holly was an undergraduate student in the English department – a typical Brown student who was brought up in a well-to-do New England family and received an excellent secondary education in private schools.

Occasionally, Holly and I met over a cup of tea for friendly conversation; she shared her writing ideas and always was attentive to my feedback. Her positive attitude and beaming smile were appealing and trustworthy. Eventually, I recognized she was searching for a subject for her literary creation.

During one of our conversations, I shared my thoughts on the significance of personal life experience in creating meaningful writing:

“A writer needs extensive life experience. And you, Holly, need every scrap of experience from every moment of your life. If your experience is limited, you won’t have as much to share with a reader.

Certainly, you don’t have to have every experience in the world to write meaningful essays. Nevertheless, you need enough personal knowledge to extrapolate what you have experienced in life.”

Holly listened attentively. “And how can I accomplish all these challenges?” she asked.

“You may be puzzled by my idea, but why don’t you undertake a bus journey from Boston to Los Angeles?” I replied. “America is the most beautiful and culturally diverse Republic in the world.”

Holly stared in amazement.

“Yes, I know, it will be an exhausting and inconvenient voyage,” I continued. “However, you will meet many different characters and visit all sorts of places during this trip.”

She was silent for a moment, then looking directly into my eyes responded with a warm smile, “You know, I may just do that.”

My studies, archaeological expeditions and various employment took me to many world-wide places; and I lost contact with Holly. In fact, I am still unaware whether she took a bus journey from Boston to Los Angeles to gain her “life experience” for creative writing.

One day, however, I noticed an announcement in one of the 1991 Brown University Alumni Magazines that Brown graduate Holly Kowitt wrote her first book entitled “The Fenderbenders Get Lost in America,” published by Scholastic Inc. In the following year, 1992, she published another book in the same format “The Fenderbenders Get Lost in America Again!”

Last year, just out of curiosity, I acquired these two editions via Amazon. I was pleasantly surprised that Holly’s pamphlets were an adventurous family travel guide, recounting experiences from the most popular places in the United States.

The 1991 edition states: “Can you find America’s wackiest family and their dog, Maniac? There are hundreds of other people to look for in Holly Kowitt’s hilarious vision of America’s most famous travel spots. New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Miami, Texas, and Mount Rushmore will never look the same to you again!” The 1992 edition includes insights from Hawaii, Niagara Falls, Nashville, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Yellowstone national Park.

As of today, Holly has written more than 50 books for younger readers, most in connection with our country. Indeed, the United States is an impactfully striking and ethnically diverse Constitutional Federal Republic. America’s youth do well to experience and appreciate its history, natural beauty and cultural uniqueness.

The views expressed here are those of the author.

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