Ramble: Writing Exercises and Practice

Down the Rabbit Hole: Observations and Respect

Down the Rabbit Hole is a youtube series that takes deep dives through obscure but fascinating subjects. From Call of Duty youtubers to the infamous mouse utopia experiments, his extensive research is both informative and respectful of the source. His dedication is admirable, and recently caused me to change my approach to many areas, in this short read I hope to explain how as an author you can find inspiration in every nook and cranny of your life.

The advice is simple and common: write what you know. However, you don't always know what you know. You might not realize experiences from your childhood were unique or strange, and on the opposite end you might find your childhood was similar to others. An example to throw out there would be "raw ramen". When I was a child I ate raw ramen noodles as a snack at school, along with many other students. However, many others I meet in life are shocked when I bring it up. My sins against ramen are just one example about how your life contains unique areas to draw from. Down the Rabbit Hole series author Frederick Knudsen creates mini documentaries on the channel sharing his name, and these videos provide insight to those "raw ramen" moments that we may not recognize.

The two videos I listed before are both prime examples of "raw ramen" moments, even if both heartbreaking. The mouse utopia experiments are an amazing research point for any dystopia or post-apolocyptic story. In brief summary, when mouse populations are left with all needs taken care of and left to their own devices, drastic social changes took place. This lead to the demise of their colonies even with their base needs forever met. The call of duty video references the documentation of a early youtuber who fell from grace due to mental health issues, anger problems, and bullying. This video is great reference for understanding character faults and social dynamics in situations unlike your own.

Then there's the man himself, Frederick Knudsen. He is someone who's inspired myself to strive for thorough research and to keep an open mind. He's tackled multiple delicate topics and his narration and delivery is neutral. Relaying the facts, not opinion. This was a revelation on myself, as I caught myself starting videos to judge others. The way most other youtubers will title videos after certain popular figures (J.K. Rowling and Jake Paul to name a couple) and I'd usually enter with a sense of what side I was on. As Frederick Knudsen breaks down that divide of right and wrong, it frees the viewer to deduce their own thoughts and even change their way of thinking entirely.

I felt the urge to note his channel and its effect on me as it's not only a great resource for amazing inspiration, but his personality is something I want to capture in a character one day. It does feel silly to admit this much respect, and I may have too high praises, but for now he's of fascination to me.