Today I'm going to have at that old adage "write what you know." I do not even know where this started, but it is probably one of the worst pieces of writing advice I ever received. Now, I know that this probably was meant to encourage me to get out those stories I had brewing about my personal experiences. It's also meant to urge that biologist to write that text book that had been brewing in her brain since she started at her local university. That's all well and good, but...
Why write only I know? Research and world building are part of the joy in being a writer. If you write only what you know, why bother researching? Learning? Why create a whole new realm? Creativity is a limitless gift, don't allow the words "write what you know" to curtail that power. Instead, use it as a stepping stone, maybe write about the alien invasion of your town. I created werewolves in my own neighborhood. Don't be afraid to write about fighter pilots or samurai because you don't know those worlds. Write what you want, what you'd love to read about. Your voice is yours and is only limited by you.
What was the worst piece of writing advice you ever received?
Ah, can't say I fully agree, sister Melsy, although I do agree generally. In order to write about what you don't know, you really need to be an intelligent and deeply disciplined writer, and we know how little of those we have among the modern authors. So, yes, write about what you do not know, do the research, but only if you are highly educated and smart :)
ReplyDeleteDiscipline and intelligence are very important ingredients to being a successful author. I think I need more discipline as I let my work slide sometimes.
DeleteWrite what you know is a starting point. But once you've done that, branch out. If we wrote what we knew, there would be no science fiction or fantasy.
ReplyDeleteAnd sorry, there are A LOT of really intelligent authors out there right now. The more I read, the more I am convinced of the brilliance so little of the world actually gets to see.
Exactly! Where would we be without sci fi and fantasy, two very important genres in writing. And heck yeah there are a lot of brilliant writers that the world really needs to see more of.
DeleteI agree, Mel. As someone who doesn't write anything remotely contemporary, 'write what you know' would get me nowhere fast.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I tend to write very dark stories with a lot of intrigue and action, while the real-life me is very chillin' and I don't have the police showing up at my door every weekend. But if you thought I wrote what I knew, you'd expect me to be a very different person.
I agree, write what you know does get many authors nowhere fast. And funny you should say that people would think you were a very different person if you only wrote what you knew. I write erotica...LOL
DeleteYeah I totally agree. I've just started writing, and one of the things I'm most excited about is knowing I'm going to learn all these wonderful new things so that I can include them in my stories. Can't wait :)
ReplyDeleteHi Anna! Thanks for the comment. Learning something new is certainly one of the most exciting things about writing.
Delete"Write what you know" is kind of hard for a fantasy writer :)
ReplyDelete"I got rid of the elves"
"Why did you do that?"
"I don't know any"
I understand the meaning behind it, but at face value it's kinda silly.
Absolutely! I love your example here. How do you write about elves if you only write what you know?
DeleteFirst things first, Happy Fourth of July, Melissa! Hope plenty of excitement is to be found today :)
ReplyDeleteThis is terrific advice. While knowledge gained from personal experience is essential to truthful writing, there still needs to be considerable attention paid to the creativity and originality of the mind. Without a coalescence of the two, experience and imagination, there would be significantly less interesting, meaningful literature in the world. The two, when joined in perfect harmony, enhance and elevate any story. The writer's primary function is to harness that division.
Melissa, that's a great point. The best sci fi is grounded in reality, but still uses fantasy.
ReplyDeleteYep, there are certain kinds of writing that totally benefit from "write what you know." And there are lots of other kinds of writing that are definitely more about "write what you want." Take your pick and get to writing! Even if some of what you produce turns out less well than you envisioned, or is unusable - it's still great practice - and therefore not wasted time. And you may hit on a gem!
ReplyDeleteHappy Fourth of July, Mel B!
we start with what we know and expound on it. thats how i take it...cause i love learning new stuff & writing about it!
ReplyDeleteA big part of writing is imagination and that means dreaming up something new, something I DON'T know!
ReplyDeleteI've given that saying a lot of thought and decided it means write what you know in a new context. So build you worlds, create your fantasies and spin your yarns but make the characters inside of them believable and knowable. Maybe it's silly but that's my take.
ReplyDeleteTo stop writing. That was the worst piece of advice I received. Of course, I brushed it off and considered the source.
ReplyDeleteYay for imagination and writing about werewolves. My personal hated piece of advice is Show Don't Tell. It took me forever (and a wasted novel) to learn that great writing takes both.
ReplyDeleteGood luck in all you do! :-)
Worst advice? It's usually an anonymous commenter, saying "make it shorter" or pointing out some preference of theirs as if it's gospel. It's free entertainment. You don't like my stuff, move on. If you want things to be a certain way write your own piece!
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