Art Imitating Life

I spoke with John Hickman (@loonymoose1), a fellow writer, on twitter about how our experiences influence our writing. It was an important discussion to have, so we each blogged about it! Here’s my take:

There’s a popular phrase in writing, “Write What You Know.” That’s all well and good for nonfiction or contemporary fiction and a few genre pieces, but I write fantasy, scifi and speculative fiction. I write about things that never will happen or have an infinitesimally small chance of happening. So in you’d assume, I write about what I know only in my imagination. Oh contraire, plenty of my ideas are based off facts I do know.  That sort of knowledge is needed to ensure the believability of said imaginary places.

Even though it may not seem it, I believe in the original statement wholeheartedly. Although I have written from a male perspective and focused the plot around a whimsical setting, the day-to-day minutia he endures is largely based off my own experiences. Interactions with peers, romantic entanglements, even how I sleep at night. The struggles in the story are either those I lived through or had been concepts I’m drawn to that I have extensively researched.

I don’t think the rule is meant to pigeon hole a writer into communicating a tale that strictly adheres to whatever they experienced firsthand, I believe it is meant as a guide. It reminds us scribes to use those life moments as a building block, not a blueprint. By extrapolating minor details and plugging them into a large scale project, it can bring something unfamiliar into a realm that can be understood.

For example, my WIP’s setting is on an Earth-like planet (think Star Wars’ Naboo or Avatar’s Pandora – similar, but not identical) that uses inspiration I have discovered from the nature I’m exposed to, sometimes in my own backyard. The atmospheric patterns could be entirely unlike Earth’s, but I don’t know anything different.  Sure, I have unusual animals, but they’re foundation is from what I know.

Most of the time, writers incorporate details of their lives subconsciously, throwing in a reference that might only have significant meaning to those in the know. Other times, the insertion of the writer’s life is intentional. Some people use friends and family members as the skeleton for characters, or perhaps even someone they hold a vendetta against. I’ve used anagrams of people and pets names.

The experience of the writer is a tool on its own, offering substantial information and detail that can then be transferred into a story of any genre.  So when you write, write what you know. Use that knowledge to develop something incredible that speaks to people. Readers will latch onto events and characters they relate to, and soon enough, your narrative will not only be a secret guide to your life, but to others’ lives as well.

Read John Hickman’s blog here: AColdSnowinCastawayCounty.authorsxpress.com