What do I Know?
If you write, and if you talk to those who write, you've likely asked them for advice, and have probably been told to "write what you know." There is a problem with this overused, yet valuable suggestion. The biggest problem is how you, a new, talented, but not too confident writer will interpret this advice. Write what I know? What the heck do I know? Hmmm, let me think...
I know that I have a degree in computer science and most recently a law degree. Does that mean I should only write stories about a thirty-something who works on computers and reads law books? Does that mean I can't write something in the fantasy genre since I didn't grow up as an orc in Mordor? Should I only write from a male perspective? I grew up in Montana, does that mean it would be against the writer's code to set my story in Italy? The answers to these questions is: "Do whatever the heck you want." The trick is to insert your personal life experiences into the story, even though you might be writing from the perspective of a rabid dog in Castle Rock, Maine.
Writing what you Know into the Characters and Relationships you Create
How can you write what you know into a fantasy novel where your protagonist is the captain of a magical flying sailboat that can teleport to any planet in the universe you've created? I believe the trick to writing what you know lies largely in the relationships you create. It's true you are creating fictitious contraptions, or even new words or made up places in your story, but your characters have real human traits (fear, anger, love, curiosity etc) that you communicate through your writing. Any writer can look at their own lives and remember good times with friends, arguments with enemies, and how you felt as you experienced them first hand. You can insert those real experiences into your made up world to add genuine realism to the way your characters relate to each other. Maybe its a nickname you hated as a grade schooler. It's these seemingly mundane things that can help to make your story feel real. Why? because at one time or another, everybody has been called a name they didn't like. Trust me, everybody can relate to YOUR experiences.
Perhaps you want to write from the point of view of a villain. You can take your own experiences with a bully from your past, right down to the heated words that were exchanged. Sure, YOU will know exactly where the dialogue came from, but your reader who has already trusted your writing enough to spend time reading it will personally identify with it, because we've all had similar experiences in our past. Even though you may not be a villain in real life, you've seen bad things, and have probably experienced a few of them too. Find a way to channel these bad experiences into your next villain. The reader will, in most cases see the truth in your writing and will trust you as you take them wherever you want to go.
Trust in the Value of Your Personal Experiences
Have you ever heard someone say, "That movie was ok, but the book was so much better." Was the book really that much better? Yes! Why? Because writing allows the reader to create the images for themselves, which gives them a stake in your story. As writers, we have the greatest liberty to take our readers to places more exciting than those which can be created in front of a camera and a green-screen. I'm convinced this is why some good writer's books don't translate well to movies. You simply can't beat the written word, and your reader is already on your side because you set their imaginations free. Knowing this, don't be afraid to use your life experience to add unadulterated realism to your story, no matter what the story is about.
- Joe
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