Ah, it's good to be back again! Yes, perhaps I did neglect my blog for the past couple of weeks but I have excuses and blah blah blah. I suppose I should update you though; hmm, what has happened? Well I can tell you that I gave the book Uglies another go and let me tell you I just couldn't do it. It is the only book I can recall reading that held so little merit that I relinquished any idea of finishing it. I've begun reading The Grapes of Wrath and The Count of Monte Cristo, both of which I am enjoying immensely thus far. But I'm not just here to ramble, I intend to join in on a conversation I have seen floating around the various writing blogs I follow, a subject I am personally familiar with and feel reasonably able to discuss.
"Write what you know." Have you ever heard that? If so, for heavens sake pound that ludicrous notion out of your dear little brain before it manifests. Hopefully that firm command has you shaking a little bit. Now, I may clarify. While it is certainly acceptable and even good to, "write what you know," writers are not limited to personal experience. Maybe this is a no brainer for you but I think it deserves reinforcing as I spent five years failing to write a coherent novel due to believing the latter lie. Think about how boring the world of literature would be if all authors wrote exclusively about that which they are familiar with. There would be no hobbits, no vampires, or perfect men for us to fall in love with. You may notice that I did not mention Narnia, and that is because a small, no, rather large fraction of my heart still believes Narnia is out there somewhere.
But you see what I mean? While life experience may provide substantial writing material for some, our imaginations are limitless! The ability to create fantastical lands with new animals and concepts others would never think of, all comes from our purely inventive imagination. So don't buy into a lie that you must write what you know. Much like growing up, it's a trap!
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Writing What You Know
Ah, it's good to be back again! Yes, perhaps I did neglect my blog for the past couple of weeks but I have excuses and blah blah blah. I suppose I should update you though; hmm, what has happened? Well I can tell you that I gave the book Uglies another go and let me tell you I just couldn't do it. It is the only book I can recall reading that held so little merit that I relinquished any idea of finishing it. I've begun reading The Grapes of Wrath and The Count of Monte Cristo, both of which I am enjoying immensely thus far. But I'm not just here to ramble, I intend to join in on a conversation I have seen floating around the various writing blogs I follow, a subject I am personally familiar with and feel reasonably able to discuss.
"Write what you know." Have you ever heard that? If so, for heavens sake pound that ludicrous notion out of your dear little brain before it manifests. Hopefully that firm command has you shaking a little bit. Now, I may clarify. While it is certainly acceptable and even good to, "write what you know," writers are not limited to personal experience. Maybe this is a no brainer for you but I think it deserves reinforcing as I spent five years failing to write a coherent novel due to believing the latter lie. Think about how boring the world of literature would be if all authors wrote exclusively about that which they are familiar with. There would be no hobbits, no vampires, or perfect men for us to fall in love with. You may notice that I did not mention Narnia, and that is because a small, no, rather large fraction of my heart still believes Narnia is out there somewhere.
But you see what I mean? While life experience may provide substantial writing material for some, our imaginations are limitless! The ability to create fantastical lands with new animals and concepts others would never think of, all comes from our purely inventive imagination. So don't buy into a lie that you must write what you know. Much like growing up, it's a trap!
"Write what you know." Have you ever heard that? If so, for heavens sake pound that ludicrous notion out of your dear little brain before it manifests. Hopefully that firm command has you shaking a little bit. Now, I may clarify. While it is certainly acceptable and even good to, "write what you know," writers are not limited to personal experience. Maybe this is a no brainer for you but I think it deserves reinforcing as I spent five years failing to write a coherent novel due to believing the latter lie. Think about how boring the world of literature would be if all authors wrote exclusively about that which they are familiar with. There would be no hobbits, no vampires, or perfect men for us to fall in love with. You may notice that I did not mention Narnia, and that is because a small, no, rather large fraction of my heart still believes Narnia is out there somewhere.
But you see what I mean? While life experience may provide substantial writing material for some, our imaginations are limitless! The ability to create fantastical lands with new animals and concepts others would never think of, all comes from our purely inventive imagination. So don't buy into a lie that you must write what you know. Much like growing up, it's a trap!
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