Write About What You Know

[Blackrook]

Rosemary, I've had the same problem, but on Friday I just started writing.

[Malloriel]

Part of why I turned to fantasy was because I'm not overly fond of straight research. Random research, researching/collecting names, etc, I enjoy immensely, but the sort of research required to build a plausible world or story structure around a real-world idea is not as much my cup of tea. It's a large contributing factor to why I've enjoyed my worldbuilding quite as much as I have. I mean, it's fantasy, which means any rules I make are entirely valid, as long as I enforce them within my writing and don't compromise them because "it would be really cool if _________ would happen!"

But then again, this falls under "Write what you know (convincingly)," and "know what you write". The advantage here is that for the most part you're making everything up yourself, so knowing what you write becomes less of a concern, and it means that readers can't call you out on making a unicorn black with claws instead of front hooves, fangs because it's omnivorous, crazy swirling orange eyes that glow angrily in the dark, and a little bit of self-awareness mixed with insanity. (That IS one of my creatures.) Who can call you out on that if it's native to your particular world? For a real world example, I give you God of War's universe. It is, of course, entirely based on Greek mythology, but the game developers make it no secret that it's their own interpretation on the old myths, and not an attempt at holding true to any one standard or record. I once got irritated when their gorgons were all serpentine when only Echidna had the serpent's body. My ire receded when I reminded myself that it was already known that it was merely an interpretation with the myths as a guideline.

But, because I'm building my world from the ground up, the most basic bones composed of our own understanding of the world, nature, the seasons, physics, etc, then when I'm writing within that setting, about characters with whom I've spent many hours working out and with, then little thought needs to go into anything. I don't have to worry about how believable it is, because I'm following my own rules the whole way.

Now, being pre-industrial in nature, there will still be things such as fletchers and blacksmiths and hand-to-hand combat and the like that I will need to research to some degree if I plan on making any more mention of them than "she took the battered shafts to the local fletcher and dropped them off for the day; she had other things to see to before her meeting with Diaven." But, if all I need is to explain why ravaged arrows became whole or replaced, then all I need know is a fletcher is the one to see.

I've found that for personal combat, a move one of my characters favors is breaking the nose when possible. Any blow to the nasal area tends to give an attacker pause. The eyes water and tend to blur, pain radiates across the entire center of the face, blood makes a huge mess and can cause complications. It can buy a few precious seconds of time to gain the advantage. All of this I'd not have known had I not picked it up elsewhere and looked into it a bit.

In any case, I've always believed in the old adage to write what you know. I just took it to mean "if you don't know it, make it up and memorize it".

[Blackrook]

If you make your own world you have to "research" it just as throughly as any other topic, so you're not getting out of research.

[Stylus]

Originally Posted by Malloriel

… readers can't call you out on making a unicorn black with claws instead of front hooves, fangs because it's omnivorous, crazy swirling orange eyes that glow angrily in the dark, and a little bit of self-awareness mixed with insanity. (That IS one of my creatures.)

In which case, can it still be called a unicorn? I think it's great to invent new fantasy creatures, as well as subverting existing ones, but does it confuse readers to use a stock fantasy name that involves so many physical differences?

If I think of 'unicorn', the first image to pop into my mind is a noble white horse with a single horn. Even if you quickly establish that the unicorns in your story have fangs, claws, insanity etc, when reading about them, I am going to have to consciously make the adjustment in my head, or you are going to have to continually mention it in the text, either of which will detract from your storytelling.

Making one change (black unicorns instead of white, insane instead of noble) would be an interesting subversion, but with so many, it may be easier to invent a whole new name (as well as making your world unique to you).

(in fact, a black-skinned beast with horns, claws and fangs sounds as much like a yale as a unicorn)

As well as "know about what you write", I guess this comes under "be aware of what your audience may know".

[SJAB]

Originally Posted by Stylus

"be aware of what your audience may know".

That is very true, and a published author once told me that, if you get it right no one will say well done, if you get it wrong, 99.9% of your readers will take great delight in writing, phoning, emailing, faxing, even stopping you in the street to tell you!

It is a matter of balance, of convincing the reader you know what you are talking about.

[Blackrook]

The problem with fantasy is that you're really not free to fool around with people's expectations. If you have a unicorn in your story, people will not be happy if it does not look and act like a unicorn. Minor variations may be tolerated, but even that is dangerous.

That's why I'm writing science fiction. There's a bit more freedom in what you can do.

[dustinzgirl]

Perhaps we should worry less about what we do and do not know and more about what we love.

Like rainbow coloured unicorns. And basements that are monsters. And rooms made out of cheese pie. And old men who have dentures in their eyeballs.

My kids are weird.

[Blackrook]

I want to hear more about your basement.

[dustinzgirl]

Originally Posted by Blackrook

I want to hear more about your basement.

Its my daughter's basement. Its a monster. It eats little kids who don't pay attention. She wrote it a while back, I don't remember all the details, I think I put it on here somewhere.

[Ursa major]

* Wonders if there's any chance that The Basement might become a best seller. *

[pyan]

Ever seen Home Alone, Ursa?...

[Ursa major]

Would I be right in guessing that it has nothing to do with a sub-prime mortgage on a property being undermined by the strange noises coming from a whine cellar (or assault cellar)?




* Hits rock bottom. *

[Blackrook]

dustinszgirl, I would like to read about your daughter's monster basement. This is a great story idea.

[deathbeatsliving]

Well I think it is mostly true about writing what you know because you do have a head start and also, most of what you know you are emotionally attached to. It interests you, so when you write you will have a passion for what you are writing about. They always say to write from your heart.
Though, I think this is true. As a writer, you should widen your scope of knowledge because therefore 'what you know' will be more and therefore you will have chunk loads to write about.
So don't feel afraid to do research. Little is better than none at all. As a reader reading your script it will show that you know what you are writing about.

[diegesis]

Originally Posted by Blackrook

So here's the new rule: "Write about what you know."

I'm sorry I'll have to disagree on that. In fact I follow the exact opposite rule. "Write what you don't know".
Imagine a farmer writing about cultivation. That would be dull, wouldn't it? [unless of course the book was called "how to cutivate" ]
Now, take the farmer and let him write how he did a surgery, how he flew a spaceship or even how he rulled the world. All those new things will give him inspiration, humour, he will be happy to do research and all that, without adding the imagination required.
For me, writing is traveling to places, time and space and living lifes I am not alowed or not qualified to live.
If we all wrote what we only knew about that would be a book or two.