Write What You Know

I’m sure we’ve all heard the saying “write what you know”. What does that really entail? Does that mean you can’t write about a place you have never been to or that the story you write has to take place in your lifetime?

As with any advice, there are pros and cons. While there is value to writing about things you know, it does not mean you should limit yourself. The truest experiences that readers can relate to are emotional ones. If an author has never fallen in love, been heartbroken, scared for their life, been in a blind rage, etc… it can be difficult to connect with a reader who has and no matter how accurate the facts of the story are, they cannot make up for such a disconnect.

While experience can be valuable, a little bit of imagination can go a long way. What if H. G. Wells had taken this advice literally? We wouldn’t have such classic novels as “The Time Machine”, “The War of the Worlds” or “The Invisible Man”. Who can say that they have travelled through time, been attacked by aliens or created a formula that made them invisible? Okay, so maybe some people out there believe they have encountered aliens, but can they claim all three experiences?

One of my favorite things about reading (and writing), is the escape that it offers. Sometimes it’s nice to get away from the real world stresses and delve into a world that can only exist in your imagination. Personally, I am geographically and somewhat historically challenged. I don’t get caught up in the minutiae of such things when it is not critically important to the novel. The beauty of fiction is that it doesn’t have to be real.