Writers hear the phrase ‘write what you know’ all the time, but what does that really mean? Does it mean you can’t write about something you haven’t personally experienced? I certainly hope not. I write mysteries–usually murder mysteries–and I have never known anyone who was murdered. I’ve never helped solve a murder case. Nor have I ever murdered anyone.
This topic reared its head this morning, after someone posted in a Facebook group about a good historical mystery novel set in Germany during WWII. That caught my interest because I love reading that type of book. I researched the book on Goodreads and Amazon to see if I would like it. It had lots of great reviews and a few negative reviews. One review stood out, because in it the reviewer slammed the writer for being an American. She said she doesn’t understand why Americans set books in foreign countries that they know nothing about. That really upset me. I felt bad for the author, and it hit me, too, because I write books set in France and I’ve never been there. I’ve written books set in Germany, too. I’ve been to Germany many times and was even born there, but I didn’t grow up there. Does that mean I know nothing?
I’ve written books where the characters travel back in time. Uh, I’ve never done that.
I wrote a book set in Germany and the Sudetenland during WWII. I wasn’t even born then.
And what about all the historical books set in the Middle Ages or during the American Civil War, and the books set in fantasy worlds? The authors of those books didn’t live in those places or times, either.
People write biographical books about famous people (or not so famous people) they’ve never met. Some of the characters lived and died centuries before the writer was born. Other people write stories about witches and wizards or ghosts and demons.
I think the statement ‘write what you know’ isn’t about writing only the things you’ve personally experienced, but more about writing about experiences, feelings, perceptions, interests, etc. that you know something about, and writing about things that you can research or dream-up. Yes, dream-up, because writing fiction is sometimes about creating something that no one knows anything about.
3 Comments
June 2, 2018 at 2:26 pm
Yes, you make good points. I think ‘write what you know’ could be interpreted as write what you feel – If we have a lived a little while and experienced some stuff then we can write about how it feels to live and to experience stuff. Empathy I think is key, I don’t think you have to break your arm to be appalled by the thought of a broken bone and it doesn’t take a huge amount of imagination to know that it must bloody hurt. Good post – thank you
June 2, 2018 at 3:25 pm
Thank you, Susan! If we only wrote about our own experiences, the pursuit of writing would have shut down ages ago from self-absorption-overload. Expressing our dreams to others may involve taking them places we’ve never traveled to physically, but have certainly learned about. Some of the most revealing, accurate writing about America has been created by writers visiting our shores.
June 2, 2018 at 3:48 pm
You are absolutely right. My novels are set from the 900s to the 1400s CE in the Americas, and in ancient lands of Europe and the Middle East from 2000 to 1400 BCE. Research is essential. The worst writing advice I heard came from one of my favorite movies: I Remember Mama with Irene Dunne. Katrine wanted to be an author. A popular woman writer gave her the same bad advice: write what you know. Katrine sold her first novel, and it was about her mother and their family in San Francisco. That may be a place to start, but I say, write what you can find out about. Reach for the stars and fly with the dragons.