"Write What You Know:" What This Advice Means And How to Apply it
"Write what you know."
It's a phrase that every writer has heard at some point or another. And it scares most of us because we're honest enough to admit to ourselves:
"I don't know anything."
How are we supposed to write orphaned characters if we're not orphans ourselves? How are we supposed to write about Paris when we've only seen pictures of it? How can we capture the essence of the Roman era when we do not, in fact, own a TARDIS? How? How???
That phrase "Write what you know"? It doesn't mean what you think it means. If it did mean what you think it means, it would be absolutely terrible advice that you should not follow, no matter which smart writer may or may not have said it.
I see so many writers worrying about and being limited by this phrase. So if you've ever thought about this rule and screamed, "But I know nothing!!!" this post is for you.
Note: Some sections of this post are copied from different conversations I've had with various writers via email and social media. So if any of it sounds familiar, it's because I'm plagiarizing my past self.
This phrase is about personal knowledge. For instance: Maybe, unlike your hero, you've never had to watch your entire village burn down. You have, however, known what if feels like to lose something or somebody important to you. You've experienced the emotion of having your world turned upside down, whether because you moved to a different state, watched your parents get divorced, started a new and challenging job, had somebody close to you get sick. You know fear and you know pain because you are human. You were, unfortunately, raised with the knowledge of such things. That is personal knowledge. And that is what you know. It is what you use to write about your hero's loss of a village.
It's about knowing your characters. So you're worried that you won't be able to accurately describe what it's like to live in Singapore because you've never been there? You've seen pictures, but you don't really know what it looks like. You've read descriptions, but you're not positive about the sounds of the city, the mood of the people, the smell of the food. That's fine. Why? Because everyone has a different experience. If we all went to Singapore right now, we'd all come back with different impressions. We'd have noticed different things because we're different people and because people don't generally "know" things. They feel them, see them through their own special lens.
Ultimately, a story is about how events and settings affects the character: How it makes them feel, act, believe. Not what they know. And certainly not what you know.
So find out who your character is. Collect a few of the big facts about Singapore. Now drop her into that new setting and show us how she feels.
It isn't about making you doubt yourself. So how do you write what you know if you don't know anything? Well, first of all: You'd be surprised at how much you actually do know. It doesn't matter how old you are. It doesn't matter if you've lived in the same place your entire life. It doesn't matter if you feel times have changed and left you behind. You do have knowledge. Maybe not big facts or grand histories. But you know emotions because you are alive. You know creativity and love and hope and sadness and beauty and fear.
You know enough.
Don't ever let the idea of not knowing anything stop you. If you ask any honest person, they'll admit that they don't know what they're doing, either. I know I don't. We only come to know things by simply being alive. It's how we learn. We writers have our minds and our imagination. Knowledge is secondary.
It's about being willing to admit when you need help. So maybe there's something you know nothing about. Maybe you're writing a story set in ancient Egypt even though you only ever saw a clip about ancient Egypt on the History channel that one time. Maybe you're writing a character with Down Syndrome though you don't have and don't know anybody who does. Maybe you're writing hardcore science fiction and the only science you know is from Star Trek and you think it possibly isn't a very reliable source (good instinct, by the way).
That's totally fine. Go read up on ancient Egypt. Talk to people with Down Syndrome, along with their family members. Crack open a science textbook (or go ask your nerdy friends some questions). Explore (but do not implicitly trust) Wikipedia.
There will be times when you're going to write about things that you know nothing about, but need some knowledge of so that you can give your story a realistic feel. Don't let that scare you off. Read some books, watch some documentaries. Go up to people who you know have knowledge in the correct area and say "Help me, you are my only hope."
You can do this.
So yes. Write what you know. Write about what it is to be human, to be alive, to know so little and so much at the same time. If you get stuck, as for help. Just don't be afraid. And never give up.
What are your thoughts on this phrase? When are some times when you've been afraid of your lack of knowledge and how did you work through it? Let's discuss!
Related articles:
Challenging Writers to Write Honestly
Why There's No Such Thing as "Just A Story"
Write What You Want to Write: Why You Shouldn't Follow Current Writing Trends
Enjoy this post? Take a look around. If you like what you see, please don't forget to subscribe by email for a new post every Friday!
It's a phrase that every writer has heard at some point or another. And it scares most of us because we're honest enough to admit to ourselves:
"I don't know anything."
How are we supposed to write orphaned characters if we're not orphans ourselves? How are we supposed to write about Paris when we've only seen pictures of it? How can we capture the essence of the Roman era when we do not, in fact, own a TARDIS? How? How???
That phrase "Write what you know"? It doesn't mean what you think it means. If it did mean what you think it means, it would be absolutely terrible advice that you should not follow, no matter which smart writer may or may not have said it.
I see so many writers worrying about and being limited by this phrase. So if you've ever thought about this rule and screamed, "But I know nothing!!!" this post is for you.
Note: Some sections of this post are copied from different conversations I've had with various writers via email and social media. So if any of it sounds familiar, it's because I'm plagiarizing my past self. This phrase is about personal knowledge. For instance: Maybe, unlike your hero, you've never had to watch your entire village burn down. You have, however, known what if feels like to lose something or somebody important to you. You've experienced the emotion of having your world turned upside down, whether because you moved to a different state, watched your parents get divorced, started a new and challenging job, had somebody close to you get sick. You know fear and you know pain because you are human. You were, unfortunately, raised with the knowledge of such things. That is personal knowledge. And that is what you know. It is what you use to write about your hero's loss of a village.
It's about knowing your characters. So you're worried that you won't be able to accurately describe what it's like to live in Singapore because you've never been there? You've seen pictures, but you don't really know what it looks like. You've read descriptions, but you're not positive about the sounds of the city, the mood of the people, the smell of the food. That's fine. Why? Because everyone has a different experience. If we all went to Singapore right now, we'd all come back with different impressions. We'd have noticed different things because we're different people and because people don't generally "know" things. They feel them, see them through their own special lens.
Ultimately, a story is about how events and settings affects the character: How it makes them feel, act, believe. Not what they know. And certainly not what you know.
So find out who your character is. Collect a few of the big facts about Singapore. Now drop her into that new setting and show us how she feels.
It isn't about making you doubt yourself. So how do you write what you know if you don't know anything? Well, first of all: You'd be surprised at how much you actually do know. It doesn't matter how old you are. It doesn't matter if you've lived in the same place your entire life. It doesn't matter if you feel times have changed and left you behind. You do have knowledge. Maybe not big facts or grand histories. But you know emotions because you are alive. You know creativity and love and hope and sadness and beauty and fear.
You know enough.
Don't ever let the idea of not knowing anything stop you. If you ask any honest person, they'll admit that they don't know what they're doing, either. I know I don't. We only come to know things by simply being alive. It's how we learn. We writers have our minds and our imagination. Knowledge is secondary.
It's about being willing to admit when you need help. So maybe there's something you know nothing about. Maybe you're writing a story set in ancient Egypt even though you only ever saw a clip about ancient Egypt on the History channel that one time. Maybe you're writing a character with Down Syndrome though you don't have and don't know anybody who does. Maybe you're writing hardcore science fiction and the only science you know is from Star Trek and you think it possibly isn't a very reliable source (good instinct, by the way).
That's totally fine. Go read up on ancient Egypt. Talk to people with Down Syndrome, along with their family members. Crack open a science textbook (or go ask your nerdy friends some questions). Explore (but do not implicitly trust) Wikipedia.
There will be times when you're going to write about things that you know nothing about, but need some knowledge of so that you can give your story a realistic feel. Don't let that scare you off. Read some books, watch some documentaries. Go up to people who you know have knowledge in the correct area and say "Help me, you are my only hope."
You can do this.
So yes. Write what you know. Write about what it is to be human, to be alive, to know so little and so much at the same time. If you get stuck, as for help. Just don't be afraid. And never give up.
What are your thoughts on this phrase? When are some times when you've been afraid of your lack of knowledge and how did you work through it? Let's discuss!
Related articles:
Challenging Writers to Write Honestly
Why There's No Such Thing as "Just A Story"
Write What You Want to Write: Why You Shouldn't Follow Current Writing Trends
Enjoy this post? Take a look around. If you like what you see, please don't forget to subscribe by email for a new post every Friday!
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