Jul 06 2008
the doctor and rose
You hear all over the place that you should ‘write what you know.’ Psh. Don’t limit yourself like that. When I hear that, I think ‘don’t write about ancient egypt if you don’t have a key to the Tardis.’ Stupid much? Fiction is fiction for a reason. If you want to write about a Russian Princess when you haven’t been to Russia nor been a princess, read a few books. That’s what writers do, they put themselves in the mind phrame of another perspective and situation, so that not only they can enjoy the escape, but the reader can as well. But, like I said, research research research. Just because you’ve made up the name of a planet out in a galaxy that humans wont reach in your lifetime, doesn’t mean that you can jump in without knowing some geography or biology. If you know how a volcano works, or about Darwin’s finches, you can morph them to fit your fictional planet. It’ll be fun and interesting. It’s interesting because the reader can easilly buy what you’re selling. The easier it is, the more audience you attract.
Wait, don’t go for that motive. Just challenge yourself. It’s the new rage!
prompt #12
Pick out the perfect dog. What breed is it? What gender? Did you rescue them from a shelter, or find them in a box on the freeway? If it’s the perfect dog, how does it act that makes it so much better than any dog? On the other hand, if you don’t like dogs, keep up what the perfect dog would be. Example: The perfect dog is one that belongs to someone else. It’s quiet, so it doesn’t bother me when I drive by. It’s a bull terrier so that when I sit on the couch, I’m not covered in his shedded fur. The dog would be named ‘Reimer’ and would be 9 years old. Reimer is part german sheppard, and that combined with his age would keep him from attacking my cat.
I don’t think “write what you know” means limit yourself only to what has happened to you. When people do that, they invariably write novels (or screenplays) about writers who are trying to write novels (or screenplays), but whose relatives, children, or significant others get in the way. BORING!
What I think the advice means is don’t pretend to know all about an era, place, or idea unless you actually DO know about it. The research part you mention is exactly right–do the research to make up for what you don’t know. Ideally, if I were writing about a place, I’d at least go to visit it, but even if I can’t, there are ways to accurately capture the flavor of a place through research. At the same time, I can’t write about sailing unless I have some clue what everything is called and how it’s done, or anyone with knowledge about it will laugh me off the page.
I don’t think I could write about rich people, though…never been rich, and don’t personally know any rich people I respect.
VERY interesting post! Really got me thinking!