I’m an editor mostly now but I started as
an author. I’d like to share with you something I still hear, taken literally,
that I think means something else entirely.
Always, authors are told to “write what you
know.” I did some research on who first said
this and while this is most frequently attributed to Mark Twain, there is a
general consensus that no one really knows who first said it. Surprisingly, the
general consensus is also that the saying should be banned. Or at least an
author’s reliance on it.
So, what does “write what you know” mean,
really?
Well, some believe it should be taken
literally— writers should not write about things we have not personally
experienced. This is actually the definition I heard many years ago. Now, I
find it very amusing and my reaction to it can be summed up by a quote from
Robert Duncan—“If I write what you know,
I bore you; if I write what I know, I bore myself, therefore I write what I
don’t know.”
Isn’t that great?
Here’s another by Howard Nemerov that made
me laugh—“Write what you know. That
should leave you with a lot of free time.”
So true. Now, I don’t consider myself
uninformed. I’m smart. I know stuff. But I don’t know enough about places and
things to infuse my stories with the atmosphere readers want. Because while we
read about characters, we also read for places and things. If I were to write
only about what I know, I’d be writing short, flat stories.
I write paranormal stories. I have yet to
meet a fallen angel, demon or a shape-shifting rock (Relic Defender: Key of Solomon). I
have yet to experience life in a futuristic Earth (Hit
Me With Your Best Shot) or travel to another planet. I have yet to visit Egypt
and see the pyramids at Giza (Children of Egypt: Blood on the Moon).
I have yet to explore the Mayan ruins in South America. Yet, these are all
places I have visited in my research and in my imagination.
I’d like to leave you with another great
quote on author’s writing what they know. This is from Valerie Sherwood: “Don’t write what you know—what you know may
bore you, and thus bore your readers. Write about what interests you—and
interests you deeply—and your readers will catch fire at your words.”
Would my writing be any better if I
experienced some of these things? Maybe. I don’t know. I think what makes it
great is that I haven’t been there so I can infuse my stories with the passion
of discovering something new. And that’s what I try to do.
If you read my books, I hope you agree.
Cassiel Knight
