by Dee Scully
“Write
what you know.” I must have heard this
statement a hundred times over the years at writers conventions and in ‘how to
write’ books. I assumed I understood the
meaning of it; I have a Bachelor of Health Science and studied medieval art
history, so I should write about science or history or historical science.
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(Don’t
laugh! I’ve actually amalgamated the two
into a medieval medical romance, Porphyria’s Lover, with spectacular
results!) While writing ‘what I know’
of science and history has been enlightening and even quite fun, I’ve recently
come to realize that there is more to the story (or statement) than meets the
eye.
“Write
what you know,” is more than a sweeping coverage of career choice. When I dug deeper I realized it’s also about
what I know about myself. Have you ever
found yourself writing a flat character because you just can’t get into his/her
headspace?
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Narcissus by
Caravaggio (1594-1596)
source: Wikipedia
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I
have. I struggled for months to make the
heroine of my latest medieval romance multi-dimensional but she always fell
flat until late one night after yet another scrapped revision, I decided to
apply a bit of my ‘history’ to her…just for fun, because nothing else seemed to
be working. I applied my feelings to her
character. How would I feel if I was
her, better yet—how did I feel when a similar event happened to me? I discovered particular angles of this
character that I hadn’t before considered.
My character and my story blossomed with the added depth created from
what I knew about myself! It made me
understand my fictional character (and my real self) in new and enlightening
ways.
Love to love, Love to laugh, Love to learn!
I love
loving. Period. Full stop.
It’s why I’m a romance writer.
I love
laughing at myself. It reminds me that
life doesn’t have to be so serious.
I love
learning how to shape multi-dimensional characters! Orson Scott Card in the
Writer’s Digest series Elements of Fiction: Characters & Viewpoints makes
learning about character shaping easy.
Until
later…happy writing!
D
Good morning! Hope your week has started spectacularly and I'm looking forward to hearing how you've applied what you know to your writing!
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ReplyDeleteWow! Good example Enisa. I am a mother but fortunately haven't experienced anything so horrible, so like you I can only imagine. Having said that, I don't know if I could allow myself to imagine my children murdered...even for the good of my chatacter/story. I think for great story characters it takes an emotionally strong writer--LOL I'm still working on building my own character I guess.
DeleteGreat post, Dee. For me, write what you know is all about emotion. For example, in a story a child is kidnapped and murdered. What does the mother feel? I don't have children but I have lost a father I know about grief and sadness and anger. I would write what I feel and intensify it ten-fold for the mother. That mskes the character come alive for me.
DeleteA great post, Dee. I love how you put that. For me, the character's head space is a sacred thing and I tend to lurk there in ways in which I don't fully understand until the character is fully drawn. For me, that is why writing symbolises self exploration.
ReplyDeleteWell phrased! Yes, self exploration! Steven King once mentioned that writers write hidden thoughts...the things we 'sometimes' imagine but in real life would never do. I, myself, am not a courageous heroine but...for a short space of about 400 pages I can be!
DeleteOh, I think you're very courageous, Dee.
DeleteThank you Georgia! Likewise.
DeleteGood morning Ladies, I can totally relate to your post Dee. I write crime fiction (with romance of course) because, having a police background, this is what I know and love. l would find it hard to have the confidence to write about something I was not familiar with. Maybe that is staying within my comfort zone?
ReplyDeleteIt may be within your comfort zone Karen but it is also what you know & can relate to so you're better able than most to write it for others to read and understand!
DeleteHi Dee! I rarely write about settings and professions I know because I just love the research involved in writing about places and careers I've never experienced. But I think, inevitably, writers include a little of themselves in each character they create.
ReplyDeleteHi, Marilyn!
DeleteSigh, research. I love it! (And often get lost in it--LOL!)
As a medieval Welsh writer I don't write about places or professions I'm used to either, but I infuse the characters from that time period/profession with emotions that I am all too familiar with e.g. passion, loathing, ennui, love, joy, etc...and I use my personal experiences of these emotions to help deepen what the characters are feeling. Do you find that you do the same or do you infuse your characters with emotion in another way?
Emotions are so human, so universal, they bring any story to life. As Enisa said earlier, as writers we may not have experienced a particular event but we can identify with the emotions aroused because we've all felt them at some time. If we can harness those feelings and arouse those same emotions in our readers that makes for a great book. So that's my long-winded way of saying yes, I write in a similar way to you, Dee. :)
DeleteI really like that thought Marilyn..."Emotions are so human, so universal, they bring any story to life." Simply stated but so powerfully true.
DeleteResearch is great. It's experiencing something Clayton's style but you do experience it and so can write about it.
ReplyDeleteSo true Enisa! Research does allow you to 'live' vicariously, doesn't it?!
DeleteProblem is, it's so damn interesting you can get caught up for days (or weeks!) and not get any writing done - lol.
DeleteI'm learning to be strict with myself on the research front...I give myself a specified time to search for information and stick to it. Otherwise I can lose days...weeks! And that's time I could be writing!
DeleteLove your post, Dee. I think writers often know more than they think they know, and I love it when the background tapestry of a book is enriched with detail. Historical or contemporary, I love that ring of authenticity! And I sincerely believe readers pick up on it in the details. Thanks for this interesting thought.
ReplyDeleteMalvina
So true Malvina! So true. Readers are quite astute. As you say, they know 'authenticity' when they see it...hopefully we as writers know it when we write it--LOL.
DeleteGreat post Dee. I love researching and writing historical settings too. It's just so much fun. In terms of writing what I know I think I myself am not a risk taker but often my characters are. I love to challenge them and then see how they get out of it. Mostly in ways I'd never bd brave enough to do myself.
ReplyDeleteCassandra, that's awesome! Your a Walter Mitty kind of writer...your characters come alive through your imagination, doing the things that you might not feel confident doing in real life. I love that!
DeleteI think not only relates to knowledge but feelings as well. We all experience a range of emotions and so using that to fuel the story is paramount. I've never been to a fantasy world, but from my own imagination combined with experience, I can go there with my stories.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to reading your medieval story one day, Dee!
Excellent point Eleni! 'Write What You Know' pertains to not only professions and roles but also emotions. It's those emotions that really open up a character and a story!
DeleteWrite what you know could also be write what you read. I know that my first reading experiences as a romance reader were mostly historical and although I read many other genres now I think it was natural for me to write what I love to read. It might be not be the same for everyone but it was for me.
ReplyDeleteOoo! Very good point Cassandra. I wonder if that's why I decided to write historicals and now am moving into spec fiction.
DeleteSo if we list the 'write what you know,' we have the following:
professions (police officer, health scientist, etc...)
roles (mother, caretaker, son, etc...)
emotions (tragedy, elation, passion, loathing, etc...)
types of books (historical, medicals, crime fiction, etc...)
Any others?
Travels are great for learning about countries and cultures and people with totally different experiences and mindset to yours.
ReplyDeleteInvaluable if your story is set in, say, Peru and your secondary characters are of that nationality. All you've learned via travel adds authenticity to the characters and setting.
You could classify travel as research.
Definitely Enisa. It would also bring an air of authenticity to the story. If anyone had to travel for research. Where would you go?
DeleteAn excellent example of 'writing what you know' via travelling is Harlequin author Alli Sinclair's Luna Tango. Alli travelled through South America, spending time in Argentina and learning to tango. In Luna Tango she's melded her knowledge (and obvious love) of both into a brilliant romance! If you've not read this one, get it NOW and read it to really find out the meaning of 'write what you know'!
DeleteAw, thanks for your lovely words, Dee! Enisa, I totally agree - travel is a great way to "write what you know" - it can add a few more dimensions to a story and create some really great challenges for the MC!
DeleteSqueee! Alli Sinclair, author of Luna Tango, is on our blog! If you haven't already done so, buy her book and check out her website/blog at http://allisinclairauthor.wordpress.com .
DeleteComlex answer. I'd visit the Amazon, the Sahara. Great settings for romantic suspense. Britain and France for medieval romances. I'd love to go back in time. For paranormal stories I'd love to explore outer space. I have a lot of travel wishes. :)
ReplyDeleteWow! Outer space...yes, that would be cool--and scary! If you have the right kind of cash (and by that I mean A LOT) you can actually book a flight into outer space. Barring that, you could also visit a planetarium or space museum like the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC...and if you can't get there physically they have an awesome website at http://airandspace.si.edu! After immersing yourself in information (research as was mentioned above) and truly digesting all there is you may be able to 'write what you know,' but I'd still suggest adding in the emotions that you would feel (and have in the past) in similar situations to add an even deeper sense of 'writing what you know,' giving your writing a hearty dose of authenticity.
DeleteTwo other authors who come to mind who have also set books in places they have travelled are, The Paris Time Capsule by Ella Carey and The French Prize by Cathryn Hein.
ReplyDeleteOh, yes! I can't suggest enough Cathryn Hein's The French Prize.
DeleteAww. Thank you!
DeleteThe French Prize is on my kindle and next on my tbr pile. Can't wait to read it!
DeleteYay! I hope you enjoy it, Marilyn.
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DeleteI'm currently being enthralled by Cathryn Hein's 'The French Prize'. Not looking forward to 'the end'. Will have to say goodbye to the characters.
DeleteHi everyone, and thanks for the mention, Cassandra! I lived in Provence for 3 years so it was a delight to set The French Prize there. Saved a lot of Googling!
ReplyDeleteI wrote a piece on this topic a while back for Write Note Reviews, basically saying that drawing on our experiences and knowledge adds richness and emotional depth our stories. But I also concluded with the thought that unless you're passionate about the story no amount of writing what you know is going to help.
It's a very interesting topic!
Here's the link to the Write Note Review post, if you're interested. http://writenotereviews.com/2014/04/24/guest-post-write-what-you-know-by-cathryn-hein/
Awesome! Thank you Cathryn. Wise words indeed.
DeleteI'll check that article out now.
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