We've all heard the old adage to write what you know. It’s a good start. Writers need to remember, though, that it is only a start.
Writing what you know is phenomenal, mainly because of its simplicity for the writer. If you’re a history buff, such as me, writing historical non-fiction (which I did for years) is an extremely easy task. If, however, you are not a history buff but you want to challenge yourself (both as a person and as a writer), this task suddenly takes on a whole new dimension.
I am more than open about the fact that I got my start in historical non-fiction. I know, that sounds horrifically boring. I was a nationally published historical writer by age fourteen. I am extremely proud of that. However, that took me down a rather easy path. I was not challenged at all by writing about historical figures or events. It was easy. I love history, and hopefully my passion showed in my work. However, there was no risk for me as a writer.
Today, I am the proud author of a few works of fiction. Amazing, I know. I happened to be fortunate enough to come across an incredible independent publishing house that saw more potential in me than I even saw in myself. I can honestly say that I do not know if I would have jumped into the fiction writing pool if not for the encouragement, challenge and support of my publisher. I was quite content under my little security blanket of non-fiction. Thanks to my publisher, though, I discovered that my security blanket was nothing more than a thread.
I had dabbled in fiction on my own time, but it was for my eyes only. I wrote a group of intertwined short stories based on some characters I had know and experiences I had endured. However close as these stories were to my heart, I figured no one other than myself would have an interest in these stories. Apparently I was wrong. That group of stories became my first book, Loving Her. Now I love that book and I am extremely proud that it went to print, but I will admit that as I read it now, I would like to revise it. My fiction writing was more than rusty, and now I’d like to give it a second go. For now, it stands as my first work of fiction in over fifteen years. Not bad.
Then came the pushes for full-length novels. I nearly fell off my chair when I read that e-mail. They have to be joking! A FULL LENGTH NOVEL?! I was nervous. I did not think I had it in me. Besides, what would I write about? “Write what you know” had been thrown out the window with all of my historical non-fiction.
Well, being a good employee, I gave it a whirl. I will admit that I found the task to be rather daunting at times. I struggled to describe people and places in ways that would actually intrigue readers. Just over a year and three revisions later, I am about to see Imperfect, my first attempt at a full-length novel come into being later this year.
Ironically, after I submitted my first rendition of Imperfect, my publisher decided to push me again. Now, I was given the task of writing not just another full-length novel, but a full-length SUSPENSE novel. All of my fears and concerns came flooding back as I was asked to perform a task that seemed nearly impossible. We have quite a few writers for this publishing house who are incredible suspense writers, and I am nowhere near the level these folks are on! I was sure that I could not produce. That night, though, I found myself laying in bed starting to think of a suspense plot. Albeit simple, it was all coming together: the characters, the location, the events. I thus began the arduous task of writing my first full-length suspense novel.
Countless sleepless nights later, Unbreakable Hostage was born. Though it was the third fiction work I had produced, it became my second published title. I didn’t think I had it in me, but somehow I was able to create a tangible, readable suspense novel! I’ll admit I’m proud of the fact that it actually came to fruition. I surprised myself, and I am definitely enjoying the fruits of my labor!
To write what you know is good, but we need more. We need to be challenged. None of my fictional works deal with history at all. I knew that I needed to challenge myself not only by genre, but by topic as well. The stories in Loving Her deal with prejudice, illness, love and devotion, family, police work, dance, and much more. Imperfect is contemporary fiction that tackles prejudice, sexuality, racism, sexism and medical issues. Unbreakable Hostage addresses math (specifically algebra), love, and torture, just to name a few. In jumping into fiction, I have opened myself to new topics, new cultures, and even new languages. I write with dialects; I write in Spanish (I couldn’t let my Hispanic heritage go completely to waste) or someone has a Spanish accent. I talk about music, people and traditions from other countries. I have allowed myself to write not just what I know, but what I want to learn.
I think that as writers it is vital that we continually open ourselves up to new facets of learning so that our writing does not become stale. So long as my publisher has faith in my fiction writing skills, I will continue to look for new locations, new characters and new subjects to address. I will, when the need arises, ask a friend or expert in which ever field I am addressing for information. I do not believe that it is shameful for a writer to ask for help. Even though I am writing fiction, I want my topics to be as accurate as humanly possible. Yes, we all take artistic licenses with our writings, but I still believe in accuracy. By approaching a professional in the computer world, for example, I am ensuring that my readers aren’t reading something that is too far fetched. My stories still need to be believable and real, even if they are not retellings of historical events. By doing so, I also educate myself (and maybe, just maybe, my readers will get educated too).
Do I write what I know? To some extent I do. I use a basic platform of my knowledge and experiences in order to create my stories. Our lives are an endless bounty of ideas, really. I just like to put a new spin on them. I want to be sure that each of my books is unique and interesting. I open myself up to new territories every day so that I can continue telling stories. Writing about something new is far more exciting than writing about what you know.
L. E. Harvey, Author; Model
Author: Loving Her; Unbreakable Hostage; Imperfect
www.leharvey.com
http://harveyle.blogspot.com
April Robins is a celebrated promoter of writers and artists. She is also a writer of children's picture and story books designed for early readers. She has published 8 fully illustrated books so far and currently has two more in work. She is a frequent speaker and reader at public libraries and bookstores. April is CEO of her own company that promotes and sales her published works. She maintains a website where her books are previewed and available for sale. Her site also contains articles on developing a concept through the various stages to a self published book. April's website can be found at www.robinfalls.com. 