Write what you know?

What interests you more? Personally I love research, so I don't mind the work (ETA: changed "word" to "work". Oops) it takes. But sometimes it's nice to just write on a topic I know.

What? Texas doesn't have vampires/slayers?! (Actually, this could a lot of fun: writing about Texan vampires/slayers.)

I understand. Frankly, I'm mind-boggled that they think you "can't get the right feel ..." if you've never been there. That's like saying writing an accurate historical is impossible.

Plenty of writers write about places they've never been to. Obviously it'll take more work, but that doesn't mean it can't be done.

If you really want to set it somewhere, go for it. It's your story and if you feel you can do it justice, then you should write it. The worst that could happen is that someone will say, err, you've got this all wrong and you have to change it. It can help to have a beta reader familiar with your setting.

I'm writing a YA novel set in England. I've been to England, know a ton of English people, and have generally been obsessed with English books and tv shows since I was a kid...but it's still really hard to do. There's all the same stuff in England...but it's different If you're prepared for a buttload of research and possibly negative feedback, then why not?

PS I would read a book about Texas vampires.

Kitty Pryde said:

PS I would read a book about Texas vampires.

Click to expand...

How can you kill a Texas vampire? Drive a barbecued rib through its heart instead of a stake?

I like a place called city-forum.com or .org, can't really remember the exact name because I haven't been there in awhile. But, it's where local people are more than willing to discuss just about anything about their area. It's been alot of fun talking to people on there and very educational about that area.

If I can find the exact web name, I'll get it to you so you can see what you think.

cheers!

kid

Its only my personal opinion, but I think "write what you know" severely limits a writer especially as a fantasy writer. I consider myself a storyteller more than a writer, actually. I believe it is my job to make things up. Of course, I'm going to do as much research as possible when I'm writing about a known mythology or a specific location or something like that, but I have to be allowed a certain amount of license in the details. My best advice is... go with your gut. It'll all work out.

Hey there are places in CO that are very much like places in TX, and vice versa. I've spent time in several areas of both states. You should be able to do this without too much problem.

I think folks take write what you know a bit too seriously. Let's face it, you don't really know any vampires.

At least, not any REAL vampires.

'Write what you know' is really 'Don't write what you don't understand'. Don't try to pass yourself off as the leading authority on 15th century Italian architecture if you know nothing about it.

If you set it in England, I can offer advice on whether it sounds authentic or not. Most American books have English people either as snobs and toffs or cockneys.

Lady Ice said:

'Write what you know' is really 'Don't write what you don't understand'.

Click to expand...

I love that. That makes so much more sense. We should lobby for the change officially.

Look, as you said, they're not writers and obviously their advice struck you as incorrect. When receiving a crit, you're advised to take what you can use and ignore the rest, politely thanking everyone for their time The same is true for advice like this. Take what you can use, ignore the rest, and politely thank everyone for their time.

Birol is very wise.

I wrote an enitre series set In Nevada- I drove through Nevada -once- Google can be your friend.

lilmamaross said:

I'm sure it could be done, but Texas doesn't feel right for a book of the vampire/slayer variety!

Click to expand...

My book is about witches in Oklahoma-- so I sure hope it can be done.

Taken teh right way, write what you know is the most valuable piece of advice ever given to any writer. Slush piles are full of people who write about places and people they don't know, and it's always obvious. Every new writer seems to think a mystery has to be set in New York City, or Los Angelas, or New Orleans, or Paris, even if they've never been within a thousand miles of the actual place. This works, with enough research, with enough of the right kind of research, but it's darned hard to pull off well, or at all.

This doesn't mean you can't set a novel in New York, or on Mars, but it does mean you'll still have to people that story with people you know, adjust the story and setting so that it's really about your home town or city, or a place where you have spent a lot of time. And, of course, there is no such thing as a vampire, a werewolf, or a troll, so you know as much about them as anyone. But you still have to make each beast a real person behind the fangs, beneath the fur, or under the bridge. You do this by writing about people you know. Monster stories are never about monsters, and alien stories are never about aliens, they're both about real people.

The reason most new writers don't write what they know is because they think what they know, the people they grew up around, the city or town or village they grew up in, isn't exoteric enough to write about. To them, New York or Hong Kong is esoteric and exciting.

Really, jsut what is it about Dallas, Texas that makes you believe it isn't a fantastic setting for a story? People who don't live there try to write about it all the time, and generally do a lousy job. People who have lived there, or who have spent a lot of time there, have used it as a setting for some wonderful fiction.

Research is a good thing, but no amount of research can fool someone who has lived wherever you're writing about. You can't fool a New Yorker about his hometown, anymore than a New Yorker could fool you about yours.

I started writing a story taking place in norse mythology some time ago. I only knew the basics when I started, so I spent six months researching for it before I even wrote my word line. After that, I researched and wrote for two months before I finally felt I knew enough to write the story. It got a bit boring, so I scrapped it halfway through. Still, the research part was very fun.

Write what you know ABOUT.

Which may or may not be what you've experienced personally; it may also be what you've researched thoroughly.

"Write what you know" = "if you know shit, you're going to write shit."

Knowledge is king.

The "write what you know" dictum emphatically does not mean you should only write the autobiographical. It means "write what you know about people and how they work", in whatever setting you choose.

caw

I didn't read the books, but did watch some of the series, weren't there Texas vamps in True Blood?

(As to the actual question . . . I pretty much agree with the general view here. If people literally meant write what you know, that would make the entire SF/Fantasy/Thriller etc genres disappear)