WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW – IT’S MORE THAN YOU
THINK
We’ve all heard this perennial advice to
the new writer. But what does is actually mean?
What do you write about if you’ve never
been anywhere romantic, aspirational, any of those places where romances are
usually set.
Well here’s the big
truth. Writing about what you know isn’t about exotic places or being places
where big events happen. You
can research the exotic places, the great events online these days. Tour them,
re-live them on Youtube.
What you, and only you
know, is the stuff you’ve experienced, the tears you’ve shed, the laughter
you’ve shared, the things you’ve touched and that have touched you.
We’re
all sponges, soaking up images, sounds, feelings. Laying down memory. As a writer, those memories are your greatest asset.
Nora
Ephron (You’ve Got Mail and a whole heap more), sitting beside her dying
mother, – also a screenwriter – was told “you should be making notes, Nora”.
Not actually necessary. Those big emotional moments carve themselves into your
psyche. The discomfort of the chair you’ve sat on for hours. The constant
beeping of machines, the rattle of trolleys, the routine of the hospital, the
things you said, the things you didn’t say…
Search
your memory for an occasion when, one moment you’ve been laughing, on top of
the world celebrating some achievement with family, friends and then, without
warning, there’s a prickle behind your eyelids. Present laughter evoking a
memory that has tears in our eyes before we know it.
What
emotional trigger has caught you out that way?
It
isn’t always the big occasions that get you and, maybe, for the writer it’s the
small things that are the most valuable. Picking the first strawberry from your
garden, making a daisy chain with your daughter, building a sandcastle can
spark a tender memory. My Dad used to make the world’s greatest sandcastles…
For
me it was at my daughter’s wedding. Not the moment when she walked in on her
father’s arm. Not the vows. It was the moment when she and her new husband, and
all the members of the band he played with lined up to perform air guitar to
some rock number on the dance floor. It made me laugh and then, as I thought
how much my mother would have loved that, it made me cry…
These
feelings, emotions, are veins of gold to be mined by the writer. Use them in
the same way that a method actor reaches into himself, searching his own
experiences, tapping into his memories to create living, breathing character.
This
is “what you know”.
Liz Fieding says...
I met my husband when we were working in Zambia and were both members of the Lusaka Theatre Club. He was playing John de Stogumber in St Joan, and I was the pageboy to the Earl of Warwick. He swore it was the purple tights that got him. I wish I had a photograph. Sadly none exist.
We travelled a lot in Africa and the Middle East then we had babies and settled down back home, first in Wales and now in Wiltshire – photographs in my gallery.
I started writing when the children were small and my first romance, An Image of You, was set in Kenya, in a place where we’d spent many happy weekends on safari. It was plucked from the slush pile because the feisty heroine made my editor laugh. Emotion touched with humour has been the hallmark of my work ever since.
We now live in Wiltshire, within the magic circle of Glastonbury, Stonehenge, Avebury and the ancient hot springs at the heart of the city of Bath.
Liz Fielding on the web:
Liz Fielding has a new book out from Tule Publishing.
The Bridesmaid's Royal Bodyguard (Royal Wedding Invitations Book 3)
After being sacked from her job on the gossip magazine Celebrity, Ally Parker is forced to return home to Combe St. Philip with her tail between her legs. She is given a fresh start when her childhood friend, Hope, asks her to work PR for Hope’s marriage to Prince Jonas of San Michele.
When Count Fredrik Jensson, head of security for the royal family, arrives to check out the village, he makes it clear that her past employment makes her unfit for the role. The fact that there’s a sizzle between them from the moment they meet only makes everything worse.
Forced together on a trip to San Michele for the official announcement of the wedding, Fredrik and Ally find themselves stranded overnight in his mountain retreat. Their sizzle flares into an inferno. However, their night of passion sours when he sees her with her ex-boss. Believing that Ally is about to buy back her job with wedding secrets, Fredrik turns back to ice. What will it take to see the person she truly is and a thaw to set in?
When Count Fredrik Jensson, head of security for the royal family, arrives to check out the village, he makes it clear that her past employment makes her unfit for the role. The fact that there’s a sizzle between them from the moment they meet only makes everything worse.
Forced together on a trip to San Michele for the official announcement of the wedding, Fredrik and Ally find themselves stranded overnight in his mountain retreat. Their sizzle flares into an inferno. However, their night of passion sours when he sees her with her ex-boss. Believing that Ally is about to buy back her job with wedding secrets, Fredrik turns back to ice. What will it take to see the person she truly is and a thaw to set in?
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I agree that writing what we know doesn't mean we have to know everything before we start - we can use our imaginations and research to build on our existing knowledge.
ReplyDeleteThanks,Patsy. My imagination is my most cherished possession
DeleteHi Nas and Liz ... it's easier to write around a base and then add things in. Fascinating back story you've had Liz - no wonder you can draw on so many story lines ... cheers to you both ...
ReplyDeletePS Patsy writes true to herself... love her stories -
All the best to you three - Hilary
Thank you, Hilary. It's Bern an interesting life!
DeleteI've been writing for years and STILL found this such good advice and a good reminder. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteAfter 25+ years, I still love to read advice from other writers to refresh the "well", Elizabeth.
DeleteWhat we know is much more than a list of dry facts. Excellent article.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Tamara. The emotional well is deep - sometimes we have to send the bucket down a long way. :)
DeleteWhat wonderful advice, Liz! I like that you give us a different take on this popular advice. Very interesting! :)
ReplyDelete~Jess