Writing What You Know

with guest blogger Nicole Hurley-Moore

Ever had your heart broken or done something so embarrassing you wished that the ground would open up and swallow you whole? Have you been in love or ridiculed or a bit naughty? What about facing a fear, finally achieving something you’ve worked hard towards or falling for the wrong guy... twice? If the answer is ‘yes’ to one or more of these questions (or all of them in my case but we just won’t go there) – use it in your writing.

We’ve all been told to write what you know and when I first started writing I thought I knew what that meant; but I was wrong. I thought it was all about the research, places, time period and facts. If I had the facts, the plot and the characters developing throughout the story and jumping through all their particular hoops, then everything was perfect – wasn’t it? And the short answer was – no, it wasn’t because the essence was missing. My hero and heroine were flat because I just wasn’t feeling it and that was the problem.

Write what you know means so much more. Yes, we need the research and the facts but you also have to incorporate – well, you. Sure, we have shared experiences like falling in love, facing grief or trying to step up during a crisis. But the way you deal or feel about them is unique to you. What I mean is not everyone reacts the same way. For example at a funeral some people are shattered, others silent and unbending, some laugh nervously while another may make lame jokes at inappropriate times. This doesn’t mean they aren’t grieving, they’re just handling it in their own way (that is all except for Uncle Bob who’s just a jerk).

You have to do more than just write the story, you have to feel it. However it’s not just having empathy for your characters; it’s sharing with them your authentic feelings. Is this wrapped up in ‘your voice’? Um... I guess it kind of is.

So when writing a scene, remember to draw on a similar situation or feeling that you’ve experienced. Maybe none of us have ever fought a duel at dawn or faced down an enemy with sword in hand, but at one time or another we’ve been scared, desperate, forced into something we didn’t want to do or sacrificed something for another person (or maybe even taken the odd fencing lesson).

Mix the experience, physical reaction and the research and your story instantly gains depth.

We create and manipulate our characters to tell the story from our heart so don’t sell it short. We want our readers to connect with our characters but firstly we must connect with them ourselves. Remember how it feels to be crazy in love, jealous, betrayed, or how you felt when you kissed for the first time, and then give your characters that little bit of yourself.
Nicóle x

Image courtesy of polyvore.com

Tell us how you've used 'what you know' in your writing or how you imagine the writer used what they know in a book and you will go into a draw to win a signed copy of McKellan's Run by Nicole Hurley-Moore!!!

Love to Love – My family and my obsession with antique jewellery

Love to Laugh – At my family’s odd sense of humour and their quest to get me to laugh at the worst possible time.

image courtesy of sppiblog.org

Love to Learn – Anything I can on medieval history.












McKellan's Run available now! Published by Allen and Unwin.

McKellan’s Run – Sometimes you have to give love a second chance...

Visit Nicole's website for more at:  www.nicolehurley-moore.com.