What Does 'Write What You Know' Really Mean?
Posted: Monday, July 16, 2007
by Hannah Quinn
Too-Write! Professional Services
Writers are always told, ‘write what you know'. Yes, this is one important aspect of writing. It is a truism. It is also false and misleading. I know many writers who take it to heart, write about ‘who' they know and then worry about people recognising themselves.
It isn't necessary to write what you know in terms of your day job. Let's say you are a mechanic, so does this mean that the only thing you can only write about is repairing machines? Or, you are a cook, so is the only thing you can write about kitchens or food? No, of course not. As fiction writers, we are free to write about anything at all.
Think of all the science fiction writers who have written stories of space travel, aliens, amazing technology and far flung galaxies. Did they write what they know? Well, some of them, Isaac Asimov was a physicist for example so he knew science, both practical and theoretical. Obviously, this was a good grounding, and demonstrates where his interests were, but did he ‘know' space travel or robots? No. Yet, his robot stories are still considered the best ever written and the basis for most robot stories written since. His three rules for robots are still considered the best prime directives for robots, including for real robot developers.
If you know nothing at all about science, then writing science fiction will be difficult. If you want to write about brain surgery, obviously you won't get the opportunity to cut open a brain unless you actually are a brain surgeon. Does this mean you can never write about it? No, of course not. You will need to do some careful research, of course, but the focus of your story is more likely to be on the surgeon, the patient or someone else ‘attached' to the surgery in some way, not the surgery itself.
The same can be said of any historical novel. The writer was not, could not be there, yet they can write some wonderful, lasting stories which are utterly believable. Look at Jean M Auel's The Earth Children series (starting with The Clan of the Cave Bear). What do any of us know, other than in theoretical hypothesis based on palaeontology, archaeology and anthropology what life as a cave person was like? Yet, her series became best selling and widely read.
All stories are about characters, or should be. And this is where we must write what we know. The emotional truth of the characters is what matters to the reader. Firstly, we have to care about the character. Then, the reader will care about the character, too. It is also true that the writer might hate a character. The reader will also hate the character. Hopefully, both the writer and the reader will ‘love' to hate the character.
There is a commonality between each and every one of us. It is the state of being human. We all have the same emotions, needs, hopes and connections: this is what makes any piece of writing universal. Obviously, there are vast differences in actuality, but the basic core of who we are is the same everywhere. It is this core which we know within ourselves and must draw on and create in our characters.
That is what ‘Writing what you know' is really all about.© Hannah Quinn 2007
This article is the intellectual property of Hannah Quinn and is protected under International and Australian Copyright and Moral Rights Laws. Do not reproduce without the express permission of the author, Hannah Quinn.
It isn't necessary to write what you know in terms of your day job. Let's say you are a mechanic, so does this mean that the only thing you can only write about is repairing machines? Or, you are a cook, so is the only thing you can write about kitchens or food? No, of course not. As fiction writers, we are free to write about anything at all.
If you know nothing at all about science, then writing science fiction will be difficult. If you want to write about brain surgery, obviously you won't get the opportunity to cut open a brain unless you actually are a brain surgeon. Does this mean you can never write about it? No, of course not. You will need to do some careful research, of course, but the focus of your story is more likely to be on the surgeon, the patient or someone else ‘attached' to the surgery in some way, not the surgery itself.
The same can be said of any historical novel. The writer was not, could not be there, yet they can write some wonderful, lasting stories which are utterly believable. Look at Jean M Auel's The Earth Children series (starting with The Clan of the Cave Bear). What do any of us know, other than in theoretical hypothesis based on palaeontology, archaeology and anthropology what life as a cave person was like? Yet, her series became best selling and widely read.
All stories are about characters, or should be. And this is where we must write what we know. The emotional truth of the characters is what matters to the reader. Firstly, we have to care about the character. Then, the reader will care about the character, too. It is also true that the writer might hate a character. The reader will also hate the character. Hopefully, both the writer and the reader will ‘love' to hate the character.
There is a commonality between each and every one of us. It is the state of being human. We all have the same emotions, needs, hopes and connections: this is what makes any piece of writing universal. Obviously, there are vast differences in actuality, but the basic core of who we are is the same everywhere. It is this core which we know within ourselves and must draw on and create in our characters.
That is what ‘Writing what you know' is really all about.© Hannah Quinn 2007
This article is the intellectual property of Hannah Quinn and is protected under International and Australian Copyright and Moral Rights Laws. Do not reproduce without the express permission of the author, Hannah Quinn.
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Top-level comments on this article: (4 total)Hannah this is so true and insightful. I've never been a fan of books with pedestrian characters no matter how vivid and interesting the scenery and storyline. For me it all comes down to connecting with the characters which means that the author needs to make them believable; whether fighting crime or flying through space.Ben, Thank you for your comment. It's impossible to really get into a book without a vehicle, which is the character. I appreciate your feedback. Hannah
Hannah, I subscribe to your way of thinking about writing. I wasn't sure it was the way to think but you have confirmed it with this article. I felt this instinctively but you've added a foundation to my beliefs. As Ben stated, a very insightful article. I especially enjoyed the last paragraph. Thank you for sharing!Avis, Thank you for reading the article and taking the time to respond. It's an interesting subject and frequently confuses writers, especially new writers. It's amazing how instinctive many aspects of writing can be, but it's always good to have things confirmed or expanded upon by fellow writers. Often, it's like having a light shone upon something we know but don't realise we know. Thanks, again. Hannah
Hannah, your article was very informative and well written. Thanks for the insight!James, Thank you for your feedback and comment. I really appreciate it. I was told this constantly at college and any 'trade' fairs I went to or in groups I belonged to. I had to decide what does it really mean? It seemed nonsense when taken literally, and very limiting. Many writers do write about what they know, such as Le Carre drawing on his background for spy novels. But, that wasn't enough. Stephen King must lead an extraordinary life if he literally writes what he knows! I didn't want to write about people who'd lived my life, which has been far from exciting - but that's another story. So, it had to be something more basic than experience or knowledge. To cut this down to a comment rather than another article, it had to be the universal, the emotional which links us all. And that's what I like when I read, so I knew I was on the right track. Hannah
Quite informative. I myself was struggling with the concept of writing what I know. I was trying to write a story of a robot who was assigned to look after a child and because of his interaction he learned to act and think like a human basically. I was all excited but soon lost that momentum because I knew nothing of robots except what I had seen in the Sci-Fi movies. I guess the more important thing is development of characters that people in some way could relate to even if it's a robotMelissa I'm really glad this article was informative and I hope it has given you the confidence needed to write whatever you want to write. If you want to read some excellent - and definitive - work on robots, you can't go past Isaac Asimov. His story 'I Robot' is especially powerful and most robots and how to write about them derives from his ground breaking work. Your story idea makes me think of Millennium Man with Robyn Williams. My favourite robot - not truly a robot, but an android - is Data from Star Trek The Next Generation. As you say, character development is what counts, not the mechanics or technology. Of course, you can make up technology, if that's what you want. If you really want to include something in the way of mechanics or technology, you can always run your ideas past an expert. Most experts are very helpful. Where do you find an expert? Try your nearest university or college and have a chat with some of the geeks. Have fun, Hannah
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