June 30, 2010

Is the advice “write what you know” valid? Yes, definitely. And no, not always.

It’s confusing advice!

Practical Knowledge

“Write what you know” makes sense when you’re ignorant in some area. For example, I know nothing about vampires, have never read a vampire book, can’t understand the whole vampire movie thing, and can’t for the life of me figure out why a blood-sucking boyfriend would be romantic. It’s just me.

This is the point though: I don’t know about vampires, and I have no business sitting down today to write a vampire novel. It would be so full of ridiculous ideas and mistakes that it would be laughable. I don’t care to look that foolish.

Use Yourself

On the other hand, says Ursula K. Le Guin in “Make your fiction truthful” (The Writer, July, 2010), “Write what you know doesn’t mean you have to know a lot. It just tells you to take what you have, take who you are, and use it. Don’t try to use secondhand feeling: use yourself.” So, does ”write what you know” mean “write exclusively about your personal experiences”?

No, I don’t think so. What you “know” can come from your personal experience–that’s true. But it also comes from other people’s experiences, from books you’ve read and movies that moved you, from research and travel–all blended together when you use your imagination.

The Best of Both Worlds

I believe in “write what you know,” but I’ve also had eleven mysteries published. I will swear to you that I’ve never stolen, kidnapped, set a place on fire, or blackmailed anyone, but I’ve written about it.

However, I made aspects of those stories familiar too. I set those mysteries in the midwest, where I lived all my life. Five are set in real places I’d visited many times. I used many people I knew for my characters. I developed themes that were coming true in my own life or my children’s lives. The character growth and change was real–and it was often me.

Get to Know Yourself

Le Guin says it this way: “If you take it in its deepest meaning, ‘write about what you know’ means write from your heart, from your own real being, your own thoughts and emotions…If you don’t know who you are and what you know, if you haven’t worked to find out what you yourself truly feel and think, then your work will probably be imitation work, borrowed from other writers.” (I hope you’ll get a copy of The Writer and read her entire article.)

You may not think you know much or have had enough interesting experiences, but you’d be wrong. If you have my Writer’s First Aid book, read the chapter on “Getting to Know You…” Take the lengthy survey about your life and keep the information in a writer’s notebook.

The answers to that survey will unearth enough information about YOU to last you a writer’s lifetime.

December 7, 2009

Are you a hero

              

 

              or a fool?

 

 

 

 

I had never considered the question in regards to writing–until this past weekend when I was reading James Scott Bell’s new book, The Art of War for Writers: fiction writing strategies, tactics, and exercises.

Fools Rush In…

This book is written in very short chapters, just right for my weekend, which entailed a multitude of car trips back and forth across town. I just read as I was carted from place to place. You may be familiar with Bell’s other writing craft books (one of my favorites is Plot & Structure), but this book is different.

In addition to the section where Bell helps writers pull their stories up another professional notch or two, he has sections on how to plan and behave in the writing world. I was particularly struck by his comments on heroes and fools in today’s writing world. I’ll describe both, according to Bell. I hope you find yourself much more in one category than the other!

You’re a Fool If…

• you think publishing should happen for you immediately
• you don’t think you have much to learn
• you demand to be noticed even if your writing stinks
• you get knocked down and whine about it forever

You’re a Hero If…

• you know it takes hard work and a long time to get published
• you learn your craft, always studying to get better
• you fight to make your writing worthy, even when no one notices
• you get knocked down and you quietly regroup to write again

I think you get the idea. I’m sorry to say that in our “instant gratification” world, I’ve seen a faster growth in fools lately than in heroes. However, if you’re a writer who recognizes himself in the “fool” category above, it’s never too late to change. If you haven’t alienated editors and agents with your foolish behavior, so much the better.

Be honest with yourself. If you recognize yourself in the foolish description, resolve to change. Choose humility and hard work instead of arrogance and laziness. You’ll endear yourself to other writers as well as agents and editors. And you’ll prepare yourself for a long and satisfying writing career.

Be a hero.

August 6, 2008