Write What You Know
We've heard the words, Write What You Know, but do we understand
what they mean? The words can be misleading and may discourage
new writers from branching out to try new genres. Do they mean
we should only write about our experiences? No. They mean we
should write what we know; and we know more than we think we do.
What needs knowing is what it's like to be a human being.
Everything else--occupations, places, times-everything--can be
researched
Know Your Characters
People are people. It doesn't matter which time line they're in
or the world you put them on, they are still people. Look at the
people you know and use their odd habits and characteristics,
along with your imagination to make your characters come alive
for your readers.
Know Your History
Researching will teach you all about the physical aspects of
your chosen time period. You can learn the modes of dress,
speech and the type of government of any time period on earth.
Whether aliens in another galaxy where only your imagination
sets the rules, or Earth two thousand years ago, you have to
give them traits that humans, your readers, can identify with,
or the story won't work. Can you see your stoic, stern
grandfather as ruler of a distant planet? What about the zany
aunt who loves to wear loads of costume jewelry? A perfect Queen.
Everyone has experienced love, fear, hate, curiosity, just as
you do. Take what you know and turn on your imagination, then
mix it with the knowledge you've gained from your research. Your
characters may be vampires, evil gods or aliens, but they will
feel the same pain and fear that you do. They will feel love and
compassion.
You know what frightens you. You know the feeling of being
afraid. This is what makes the stories believable to others:
your fear of dark places, of the unknown, pain and death--primal
emotions that everyone shares. If it frightens you, it will
probably frighten others. The same with love, happiness,
sadness, anger--emotions are universal to all people. You know
what causes these feelings in you, and know what happens to your
body while under the influence of these feelings.
If a character falls into a icy creek and you're unable to
describe the feeling well enough for the reader to feel it; go
jump into an icy creek. This is extreme of course, and I don't
advise it, but you'd only have to do it once to remember the
feeling through hundreds of stories. You can use this feeling in
many ways, being lost on a frozen mountain, for instance.
Everyone, whether they admit it or not, has felt so angry, if
only for a split second, that they could commit murder. Remember
that feeling and use it. Fiction is truth - exaggerated. Readers
will identify with the characters, thus the story, because they
have felt the same.
Write what you know is good advice, and you know more than you
thought you did.